Cilic out of Davis Cup Finals

Croatian star Marin Cilic has been forced to pull out of the Davis Cup Finals this month because of his ongoing knee injury. The defending champions had named Cilic in their five-man squad for the Finals, alongside Borna Coric, Mate Pavic, Ivan Dodig and Nikola Mektic. However, the world number 39 has confirmed he will be unable to compete when the new format gets underway in Madrid when Croatia face Russia on November 18. “My recurring knee injury has continued to give me problems, and as the season progressed it was becoming more evident that surgery was inevitable,” Cilic wrote on Facebook. “The rehab work was successful enough that surgery is not necessary at this stage. However, I will need to undergo a few minor interventions which will keep me off the tennis court for a longer period and unfortunately means I will not be able to compete at the Davis Cup this month.” Reports say veteran Ivo Karlovic, who is now 40, will be drafted in as Cilic’s replacement. The Davis Cup has been revamped this year with an 18-team format replacing the former World Group, where countries are split into six three-team groups, with the winners and two best runners-up going through to the quarter-finals. Croatia are in Group B, alongside Russia and Spain.