Jacob Fearnley Earns First Davis Cup Call-Up for Britain

Jacob Fearnley has earned his first call-up to the Great Britain Davis Cup squad for their upcoming tie against Japan. At 23, Fearnley’s rise has been impressive. Just a year ago, he ranked outside the top 600, but after winning four ATP Challenger titles in 2024, he soared to 86th in the world rankings. Great Britain captain Leon Smith also selected Cameron Norrie, Billy Harris and Neal Skupski, the former Wimbledon doubles champion for the tie.

However, British number one Jack Draper decided to skip the first-round qualifier to focus on recovering from a hip injury. Notably, Dan Evans, a prominent figure in the Davis Cup for years is absent from the squad. The 34-year-old, who represented Britain in 28 ties and was part of the 2015 Davis Cup-winning team, has dropped to 160th in the world rankings. Evans, who recently suffered a first-round loss in the Australian Open qualifiers has hinted at possibly retiring from Davis Cup duty after Britain lost to Canada in the Finals in September.

The first-round tie between Great Britain and Japan will take place on January 31 and February 1 at the Bourbon Beans Dome in Miki. The winner of the best-of-five match tie will face either Germany or Israel in September for a chance to secure a spot in the Davis Cup Finals. With new talent like Jacob Fearnley making his mark, the upcoming competition promises to be highly competitive.