Davis Cup - Team News: Nadal to lead Spain

Eurosport.yahoo.com - Tue, 09 Sep 13:31:00 2008
World number one Rafael Nadal will lead Spain's Davis Cup team against the United States for their semi-final in Madrid next week, captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario has confirmed.
Along with Nadal, Sanchez Vicario called up David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco, Feliciano Lopez and Nicolas Almagro for the tie, with the latter named as cover for the four-man team in case of any setbacks during the preparations.
"It takes a while to adapt to playing at altitude and if all the players are there from the outset, we are better able to cope with any emergencies that may occur," Sanchez Vicario said.
He denied Almagro's presence was prompted by any worries that Nadal may be suffering from fatigue after he was knocked out of the US Open in the semi-finals two days ago.
"Rafa has had a spectacular season and I am delighted because he has a lot of confidence at present," Sanchez Vicario said.
"He lost a match but the tiredness and stress are within normal limits. He has a few days to recover, to sleep and relax, before he comes here. He is very enthusiastic about this tie and when he's like that there is no problem."
The semi-final against the holders will be held outdoors on clay in Madrid's 21,000-seat bullring at Las Ventas on September 19-21.
"The United States are the champions, have a great team spirit, and have been together for many years," Sanchez Vicario said. "All the games will be very difficult and it should be a great spectacle."
Russia captain Shamil Tarpishchev has called up Davis Cup newcomer Igor Kunitsyn for their semi-final tie against Argentina in Buenos Aires.
The 26-year-old Kunitsyn, ranked number 76 in the world, replaces Mikhail Youzhny, who has not regained top form after missing the US Open with a neck injury.
Tarpishchev also included world number six Nikolay Davydenko, 20th-ranked Igor Andreev, Dmitry Tursunov (26) and Marat Safin (39) for the September 19-21 tie on clay.
Tarpishchev has not named the alternate: "We'll see how everyone is doing before picking the four guys for the tie," he said.
Russia, who reached the final last year, are bidding for their third Davis Cup title after winning in 2002 and 2006.
Reuters