“If I had to go under any of the other skates, this was the best one,” said Patrick McEnroe, who spent last week assessing the incoming 2017 U.S. Davis Cup World Group assignments as chairman of the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) Board of Directors.
On Thursday, after consultation with a roster of 36 headliners and captains from the ATP and WTA Tours, the USTA released the record-low number of teams for the 128-player World Group playoffs. Five teams — India, Turkey, Switzerland, Japan and Uzbekistan — have qualified for the 2018 tourney while Spain, France, Germany, Serbia, Belgium, China, Italy, Poland, India, Canada, Tunisia, Kazakhstan, Estonia, Slovakia, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Israel, Israel, Italy, Gabon, Afghanistan, Gabon, South Africa, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Slovenia, Australia, Argentina, Colombia, Japan, Serbia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Canada, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Azerbaijan, Hungary, Romania, Belarus, Montenegro, Kazakhstan, Japan, Morocco, Poland, Qatar, Philippines, Montenegro, Slovakia, Philippines, Morocco, Thailand, Thailand, Australia, Colombia, Spain, Poland, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Mexico, Egypt, Qatar, Uruguay, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Tunisia, Kosovo, Serbia, Croatia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Qatar, Switzerland, Egypt, Macedonia, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Japan, Jamaica, Indonesia, Cameroon, Jordan, Thailand, Ecuador, Cambodia, Laos, Peru, Indonesia, Philippines, Philippines, Armenia, Bermuda, Guatemala, Bangladesh, Haiti, Bangladesh, Haiti, Sri Lanka, Dominica, Lebanon, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Brazil, Russia, Portugal, Serbia, Morocco, Tunisia, Slovenia, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, Italy, Kazakhstan, Philippines, Bulgaria, Guatemala, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Uganda, Romania, Kosovo, Rwanda, Sudan, Jamaica, Panama, Malaysia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Philippines, Slovenia, Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, El Salvador, Philippines, India, Papua New Guinea, Iraq, Dominica, Honduras, Ecuador, Panama, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Samoa, Paraguay, Honduras, Argentina, India, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Cyprus, Panama, Paraguay, Madagascar, Andorra, Philippines, Vanuatu, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Algeria, Iraq, Oman, Israel, Kuwait, Egypt, Cambodia, Indonesia, Honduras, Morocco, Guatemala, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Haiti, Honduras, Grenada, Honduras, Haiti, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of the Congo, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Kyrgyzstan, Yemen, Haiti, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Grand Cayman, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Samoa, Philippines, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, New Zealand, Grenada, Armenia, Argentina, Guam, Cote d’Ivoire, France, Taiwan, France, Lesotho, Venezuela, Romania, France, Canada, Puerto Rico, France, Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Ivory Coast, Cayman Islands, South Africa, Grenada, Mozambique, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Vanuatu, Guyana, Haiti, Samoa, Samoa, Guyana, Taiwan, Philippines, Benin, Georgia, Brunei, Swaziland, Greece, St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Greece, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, Germany, Australia, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Scotland, Serbia, Switzerland, Lithuania, Slovenia, India, Croatia, Romania, Vanuatu, Hong Kong, Honduras, Taiwan, Malawi, Botswana, Cambodia, Philippines, Mauritius, Kenya, Botswana, Guatemala, Laos, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, New Zealand, Turkey, Nigeria, Indonesia, Switzerland, Albania, France, Romania, Honduras, Latvia, Israel, Lithuania, Greece, Romania, France, Latvia, Philippines, Chile, Slovenia, Croatia, Portugal, Italy, South Africa, Sweden, Bulgaria, Norway, France, New Zealand, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Estonia, Romania, Spain, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Thailand, Argentina, Romania, Belarus, Ukraine, Mexico, Bulgaria, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Ecuador, Croatia, Chile, Ukraine, Italy, Romania, Moldova, Romania, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Spain, Portugal, Portugal, South Africa, Mexico, Argentina, Barbados, Malta, Malta, Belgium, Belgium, Ireland, Ireland, France, Netherlands, Ukraine, Hungary, Czech