David Nainkin to Serve as Interim Captain for U.S. Davis Cup Team’s Qualifying tie vs. Uzbekistan

The United States has its interim captain.

USTA player development lead national coach David Nainkin will serve as interim captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team for its 2023 Qualifying tie vs. host Uzbekistan set for February 3-4th in Tashkent.

The announcement comes three weeks after the USTA and Mardy Fish, who was officially named captain in January of 2019, parted company saying they “mutually agreed to move in a new direction with the Davis Cup captaincy in 2023.” 

Nainkin has been with the USTA since 2004 and has coached a number of top American players, including Taylor Fritz throughout his rise to the Top 10, Sam Querrey and Sloane Stephens. Nainkin led the U.S. men’s team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and has been a coach for the Davis Cup team since 2019.

Dean Golfdine, also a USTA Lead National Coach, will serve on the Davis Cup coaching staff for this tie. Goldfine currently works with rising American Ben Shelton and had helped coach Sebastian Korda before that. Goldfine has also coached Andy Roddick and Todd Martin and served on the Davis Cup staff under Captain Patrick McEnroe for the team’s run to the 2004 final.

Tommy Paul, Mackenzie McDonald, Denis Kudla, Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek are the nominated players for the U.S. team for the tie, which will be played on indoor hard courts at Tashkent’s Olympic Tennis School. Previously nominated Jenson Brooksby has withdrawn.

The USTA said “further information on the search for a new full-time captain will also be announced at a later date.”