Commencing just a matter of days after the women's Billie Jean King Cup Finals get underway, the pinnacle of men's international tennis takes place with the knockout stage of the Davis Cup Finals.

Following September's 16-team group stage, only eight nations remain in contention for the enormous sterling silver trophy, but Great Britain are not among them after failing to finish in the top two of their group.

However, Italy - led by world number one Jannik Sinner - are in contention to defend their crown from 2023, but the US Open and Australian Open champion will not be lapping up the fanfare in Malaga.

Instead, Spain's favourite son Rafael Nadal will be embarking on an emotional farewell tour, having confirmed in October that the 2024 Davis Cup Finals would be his last tournament as a professional player.

Here, Sports Mole provides an in-depth guide to the 2024 Davis Cup Finals ahead of Nadal's last dance.

When and where is the 2024 Davis Cup Finals knockout stage?

The 2024 Davis Cup Finals knockout stage will be held on indoor hard courts at the Martin Carpena Arena in Malaga, Spain, from November 19 to November 24.

All matches are set to go ahead as scheduled at the time of writing despite the recent devastating floods in the region, which forced the postponement of the opening BJK Cup match earlier this week.

How does the 2024 Davis Cup Finals knockout stage work?

All Davis Cup Finals knockout stage ties are a best-of-three match, with two singles rubbers preceding a closing doubles encounter, although the latter will not be played if one team has already built up an unassailable 2-0 lead from the two singles matches.

Unlike in Grand Slams, which can go to five sets, the matches are a best-of-three tie-break sets.

2024 Davis Cup Finals knockout stage schedule

November 19: Netherlands vs. Spain (4pm | quarter-final)
November 20: Germany vs. Canada (11am | quarter-final)
November 21: USA vs. Australia (9am | quarter-final), Italy vs. Argentina (not before 4pm | quarter-final)
November 22: Germany/Canada vs. Netherlands/Spain (4pm | semi-final)
November 23: Italy/Argentina vs. USA/Australia (12pm | semi-final)
November 24: Final (3pm)

All times UK

How can I watch the 2024 Davis Cup Finals knockout stage?

The Tennis Channel subscription service will be showing all Davis Cup matches live, but viewers in the UK can catch the final on BBC iPlayer from 3pm on Sunday, November 24.

When will Rafael Nadal play at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals?

Comprising one-fifth of David Ferrer's Spain team alongside Carlos Alcaraz, Roberto Bautista Agut, Pedro Martinez and Marcel Granollers, Nadal is scheduled to be first up for his country in their quarter-final with the Netherlands on November 19.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion is set to take on Botic van de Zandschulp, whom he has only faced twice before at the 2022 French Open and Wimbledon tournaments, winning both matches in straight sets.

Nadal most recently lost to compatriot Alcaraz and long-time rival Novak Djokovic at the 6 Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia and has not played competitively since the Paris 2024 Olympics, where he was also beaten by the latter in straight sets.

Who are the top players to watch at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals?

While Nadal is no stranger to the world number one ranking, that honour now belongs to Italian trailblazer Sinner, who is already guaranteed to finish the 2024 season at the summit of the ATP standings.

Sinner - who is currently competing at the ATP Finals in Turin - spearheads Italy's title defence one year on from marching to the win that sealed glory for his nation, beating Alex de Minaur in the second match of their final against Australia.

However, Alexander Zverev has not been included in the Germany team, but world number three Alcaraz (Spain) and world number five Taylor Fritz (USA) will both link up with their nations after completing their ATP Finals quests.

A star-studded American team also features two major semi-finalists in Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton, while near neighbours Canada have included Milos Raonic, the former world number three who lost to Andy Murray in the 2016 Wimbledon final.