Casper Ruud withdraws from the Davis Cup qualifier against Great Britain amid recently becoming a father

The Davis Cup qualifiers are once again upon us as some of the best ATP players in the world are set to put on their countries garments and take to the court in the honoured event. Despite this, some players have chosen not to compete, with Norway's number one Casper Ruud very recently pulling out of the tie against Great Britain.

It has become even more of an uphill task for Norway on home soil, with Great Britain fielding a very strong lineup. They will have to take on the 2016 champions without their star man. Ruud had recently made it to the last-16 of the Australian Open, playing every match like it would be his last with his partner back home on the other side of the world expected to give birth at any moment.

The arrival of his first kid was something that Ruud would prioritise over everything, and once he was defeated against Ben Shelton, he flew straight back home to witness the cherished moment. The news was confirmed by Ruud on Instagram, with the caption reading: "Thank you for all beautiful messages these last couple of weeks. Maria and our baby are doing great."

His baby and family have now become priority for the three-time Grand Slam champion, focusing on that over his tennis career. He was in line to compete again for his country after recently leading them in the United Cup back in Australia, but this time in the much colder Norwegian climate.

He left it late to confirm the news, with it coming out 10 minutes before the Draw ceremony that he would be pulling out of the matchup.

It truly is a bitter blow for Norway, who would have been relying on their number one talent to compete with the British outfit. Nevertheless, they still have a very commendable team to go out and compete. One of them is 19-year-old Nicolai Budkov Kjaer. The world number 130 has already added four ATP Challenger Tour titles to his collection and recently made his Grand Slam debut in the Australian Open, departing in the first round.

The Norwegian number three Viktor Durasovic will also be in action with Andreja Petrovic and Lukas Hellum Lilleengen making up the numbers as team captain Anders Haseth monitors their progress.

For Great Britain, a highly anticipated return of Jack Draper is very much on the cards. The former world number four has been on the sidelines since September with an arm injury, missing out on a lot of tennis. He is set to finally make his return to the court after numerous setbacks, with him looking to kick his 2026 season off with a bang.

Former Wimbledon semi-finalist Cameron Norrie was the best performing Brit in the Australian Open, making it to the third round before losing out to Alexander Zverev. He will be lining up alongside Draper with Jacob Fearnley also making the trip to Norway. The number one doubles pair of Lloyd Glasspool and Julian Cash are also set to work their magic for their country on the big stage.

The first round qualifier between Norway and Great Britain will take place between February 5-6 at the Nadderud Arena in the Norwegian capital of Oslo.