MADRID: Five-time Davis Cup winners Spain will be without 13-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal and world number three David Ferrer for their Davis Cup tie away to Germany later this month.
Nadal returned to Davis Cup action for the first time in nearly two years in November to ensure hs country remained in the World Group with a 5-0 thrashing of Ukraine in Madrid.
However, the 27-year-old, who faces Grigor Dimitrov in the Australian Open quarter-finals today, has decided not to add the first round tie to his hectic schedule.
Veterans Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco will lead the side, whilst Roberto Bautista, who caused one of the surprises of the tournament by beating Juan Martin del Potro in Australia last week, and doubles specialist David Marrero make their debuts.
The Germans will be able to call on their best available side for the tie on the hard courts of Frankfurt as world number 12 Tommy Haas makes his return to the competition after a two-year absence.
Berdych to lead Czechs in Davis Cup opener
PRAGUE: World number seven and Australian Open semi-finalist Tomas Berdych will lead holders the Czech Republic into their Davis Cup tie against the Netherlands later this month, captain Jaroslav Navratil announced yesterday.
Berdych, 28, will be flanked by 44th-ranked Radek Stepanek, Lukas Rosol and Jiri Vesely in the World Group, first round match-up in Ostrava, close to the Czech border with Poland, on January 31-February 2.
“We hope to continue our recent run of results,” said Navratil, whose team beat Spain in the 2012 final and then defeated Serbia to retain their crown in Belgrade late last year.
“Berdych is in great form. He is serving brilliantly and is very strong from the baseline.”
Berdych himself is still envisaging the prospect of taking a rest from Davis Cup competition after the meeting with the Dutch.
“I have won the trophy twice. I have done a lot of things for the team over the last 10 or 11 years. I would say I deserve a rest,” he told Czech media in Melbourne.
The beaten finalist at Wimbledon in 2010, Berdych advanced to the semi-finals of this year’s first Grand Slam with a four-set victory against Spain’s David Ferrer yesterday. AFP
