Spanish ready for Mar del Plata crowd
The players in the Spanish Davis Cup team are preparing themselves to come up against a partisan Argentinean crowd when they take on Argentina at the Islas Malvinas stadium in Mar del Plata this weekend.
Interest in tennis has reached fever pitch in Argentina this week, with the country eagerly anticipating the forthcoming Davis Cup final clash with Spain. The tournament will also offer many Argentineans their first opportunity to see rising star Juan Martin del Potro in action.
“We know the public here understand tennis, it’s a sport which is well followed,” Spanish captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario told reporters. “It’s normal for them to support the home players and to want them to win. I hope it will all be within the sporting parameters in which tennis is played. We are more worried about the players.”
The absence of Rafael Nadal from the Davis Cup final makes Argentina the favourite to win the event, with the Argentineans boasting an unbeaten home record stretching back a decade. However, some still believe that Nadal’s absence diminishes the importance of the event.
“Personally, I wanted him to be here because he’s a friend and it’s not nice to miss the Davis Cup final,” Argentina’s David Nalbandian said. “It’s a shame because to face the world number one in a Davis Cup final at home would have been really motivating.”
Del Potro joins Argentinean Davis Cup team
Juan Martin del Potro has joined his Davis Cup teammaters in Argentina as they continue preparations for the 2008 Davis Cup Final.
Del Potro returned to Argentina after exiting the 2008 Masters Cup in the group stage, and joined teammates David Nalbandian, Augustin Calleri and Jose Acasuso for training on Monday.
The Spanish Davis Cup team are also busy with their preparations for the 2008 Davis Cup final, with Feliciano Lopez, Marcel Granollers and Fernando Verdasco all attempting to adapt their games to the hard courts of Mar del Plata on Monday.
“We’re adapting as well as possible,” Spanish captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario told ESPN. “In some areas the ball’s bounce is different than on other courts, but that will affect us just as it will affect Argentina.”
The Spanish have already confirmed that David Ferrer and Feliciano Lopez will be representing them in the first two singles ties of the Davis Cup final, while Fernando Verdasco and Lopez will contest the doubles tie on Saturday.
Argentina have not confirmed their line-up for the weekend, although David Nalbandian is virtually certain to play in one of Friday’s singles matches.
“We’ll have to wait and see how David finishes Friday,” Acasuso said. “The initial plan is that he rest for Sunday, but it’s difficult to leave him out of doubles. It all depends on his physical state.”
Spain arrive in Argentina for Davis Cup final
The Spanish Davis Cup team have arrived in Argentina in preparation for the 2008 Davis Cup final. While the team is determined to win the tournament, all media attention has been on Rafael Nadal, who was forced to miss the tournament through injury.
“Independently of whether Rafa is here or not, we’re a competitive team and we’ve come seeking victory,” Spain’s Feliciano Lopez was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. “Rafa’s absence is important, but we’re going to push forward despite facing a strong rival.”
While there is no doubt that Nadal’s presence at the 2008 Davis Cup final will be missed, there is no doubt that the event will be intensely competitive, or that each match at the Islas Malvinas Stadium will be packed to capacity.
“The five points that we’re going to play are the most important in the history of national tennis,” David Nalbandian told the Canadian Press. “It’s nothing less and we can’t give away anything.”
The 2008 Davis Cup final will mark Argentina’s third attempt to win the biggest event in national team tennis, after two previous attempts ended in failure. Spain, meanwhile, have won the Davis Cup since the turn of the millennium, takin their first Davis Cup title in 2004.
Petition launched to delay Davis Cup final
While Argentinean Davis Cup team captain Alberto Mancini is celebrating the fact that his team will not have to face Rafael Nadal at the 2008 Davis Cup final, his enthusiasm is not shared by all Argentineans.
In recent days a grassroots campaign has emerged in Argentina calling for the Davis Cup final to be postponed until Rafael Nadal is fit enough to participate in the event. The campaign is the brainchild of one Julian Baena, who has set up www.quieroganarleanadal.com in order to garner support for his cause.
“There’s nothing more beautiful than to go down in history winning the final against the No. 1 in the world,” Baena says on the website. “That’s why I propose: Let’s postpone the Davis Cup final until Rafa recovers. Two weeks. A month. Whatever is necessary for him to be 100 per cent.”
The reaction to Baena’s campaign has proved that he is not alone in wanting to watch the two strongest possible teams contest the 2008 Davis Cup final. Around 13,000 Argentineans have signed the site’s petition for the delay of the Davis Cup final.
“I heard that many people… talked about how that was good news,” Baena says on the site. “Not for me. For me it’s terrible news. I want to beat Nadal.”
Granollers to replace Nadal in Spanish Davis Cup team
Marcel Granollers has been announced as the surprise replacement for the injured Rafael Nadal in the Spanish Davis Cup team.
56th ranked Granollers was chosen after Tommy Robredo, Carlos Moya and Nicolas Almagro declined invitations to appear in the 2008 Davis Cup final, citing fatigue. Santiago Ventura will join the Spanish Davis Cup side as a reserve player.
“Granollers has huge potential and a great future in front of him and is capable of playing singles and doubles. It will be a great experience for him,” Spanish team captain Emilio Sanchez-Vicario was quoted as saying by Reuters.
The Spanish Davis Cup team will depart for Argentina next week, with David Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco all scheduled to make the trip.
“We leave for Argentina on Thursday with a motivated group. It’s disappointing Nadal cannot be with us but we shouldn’t talk about him any more from now on,” Sanchez-Vicario told a news conference.
Argentina, meanwhile, have confirmed their team ahead of the 2008 Davis Cup final. Juan Martin del Potro, David Nalbandian, Jose Acasuso and Agustin Calleri will line up for the home side, led by Alberto Mancini.
Nadal out of Davis Cup final
Rafael Nadal has confirmed that he will not be participating in the forthcoming 2008 Davis Cup final. The world number one has been on the sidelines since withdrawing from the Paris Masters last month with a knee injury.
After weeks of speculation over his participation in the Davis Cup final, Nadal confirmed yesterday that tendinitis in his knee would prevent him from taking part in the Davis Cup final later this month.
“The knee said no,” Nadal said.”These are very difficult moments, but I have done all that I could to be ready for the final. It was a huge objective, and I’m used to playing with pain, but this is a distinct, new pain that I couldn’t control.”
The Spanish Davis Cup team doctor has said that Nadal will need at least 6 weeks to recover from his injury. Nadal’s place in the Spanish Davis Cup team will most likely be passed to either Tommy Robredo or Nicolas Almagro.
Argentinean Davis Cup captain Alberto Mancini was upbeat about his side’s chances against Spain after hearing of Nadal’s withdrawal from the Davis Cup final, saying: “We’re sorry for him, but it’s good news. Spain is one thing with Nadal, and another thing without him.”
Nadal unlikely to participate in Davis Cup final
Rafael Nadal’s trainer and uncle, Toni Nadal, has told reporters that the world number one is unlikely to participate in the 2008 Davis Cup final.
Nadal was forced to cancel his trip to the season-ending Masters Cup tournament in Shanghai last week, after medical tests revealed tendinitis in his right knee.
Nadal will head to Barcelona on Monday for further testing, and appears increasingly likely to miss out on a potentially historic moment in Spanish tennis history.
“Right now his inclusion in the Davis team is difficult because the test did not go well,” Toni Nadal was reported as saying by Reuters. “There are very few options for Rafa to be there as he is feeling pain from what he is trying to do on court.”
Nadal has resigned himself to missing the Davis Cup final, and sees his injury as proof of the fact that the current season length demands too much of players’ bodies.
“The doctor tells me that the body needs to do its work and regenerate,” Nadal said. “That’s all.”
Argentina names team for Davis Cup final
The Argentinean team for the 2008 Davis Cup final was announced yesterday, with veteran play Guillermo Canas ousted by Jose Acasuso.
Acasuso’s inclusion will see him join David Nalbandian, Augustin Callieri and Juan Martin de Potro as they attempt to win their first Davis Cup title in Mar del Plata later this month.
Canas is believed to have been dropped after plummeting down the ATP rankings. He currently occupies 77th position in the ATP Tour rankings while his replacement, Acasuso, had climbed to 48th position during the 2008 tennis season.
Team captain Alberto Mancini is also believed to have favoured Acasuso for a role in the doubles tie, allowing star player David Nalbandian to focus on his singles matches at the 2008 Davis Cup final.
With Spanish star Rafael Nadal’s participation in the 2008 Davis Cup final in doubt, Argentina are looking like a good bet to take down the Davis Cup title. The team have not been beaten on home soil in a decade, and were the losing finalists in the Davis Cup two years ago.
The 2008 Davis Cup final is scheduled to be played from November 21-23 at the indoor Islas Malvinas stadium in Mar del Plata.
Tendinitis may rule Nadal out of Davis Cup final
Rafael Nadal’s participation in the 2008 Davis Cup final is in jeopardy after the Spanish star was diagnosed with tendinitis on Tuesday.
The doctor for the Spanish team, Angel Ruiz-Cotorro, confirmed on Tuesday that tests had detected tendinitis in Nadal’s right knee. Nadal will begin treatment on his knee immediately and will also undergo further testing on the afflicted area.
The Spanish Davis Cup team captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario has confirmed that Nadal will not be picked for the team if his injury problems continue. A further statement is expected on Saturday once doctors have had an opportunity to assess how well Nadal has responded to treatment.
Should Nadal fail to regain fitness in time for the 2008 Davis Cup final, Sanchez Vicario will have to rely on David Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco to defeat the Argentineans and claim the Davis Cup title.
“I want to recover and be ready for the important Davis Cup final with my country,” Nadal said before the announcement was made.
Nadal pulls out of Masters Cup
The extended Olympic season has finally taken its toll on world number one, Rafael Nadal, who has been forced to withdraw from the Masters Cup due to fatigue.
Nadal pulled out of the Paris Masters last Friday in the middle of his match with Nikolay Davydenko after suffering an injury. Subsequent reports suggested that Nadal was suffering from burnout, which he confirmed on his website when announcing his withdrawal from the Masters Cup.
“It has been a long and difficult year where I managed to obtain great results, both on a professional and on a personal level,” Nadal said. “I have mentioned on various occasions that the tennis calendar has been extremely hard with practically all weeks playing and where it forces players to compete week in, week out, making it impossible for a top level player to be 100 percent for each event.”
Good news for those looking forward to the Davis Cup final later this month is that Nadal still intends to compete in the event in Mar del Plata, and will use his absence from the Masters Cup to recuperate and prepare for the thrilling finale of the tennis season.
“I want to recover and be ready for the important Davis Cup final with my country that will be played in Mar del Plata, Argentina. That is also another reason for not coming to Shanghai,” Nadal confirmed.
