Rafael Nadal headlines Team Spain line-up for Davis Cup tie against Team France – Tennis News
Former world number one Rafael Nadal headlines Team Spain as the line-up for their tie against Team France in the Davis Cup semi-final on 16th September in Spain, was announced today. Under the captaincy of Albert Costa
the star studded Team Spain includes four of the ten players ranked inside the top fifty including two ranked inside the top ten.
Leading the team is the King of Clay himself and the reigning world number two, Rafael Nadal. Currently defending the title at the season closing Grand Slam, the 2011 US Open, Nadal is expected to be in full form for the much awaited
tie against Team France next week. A phenomenon in the tennis world, the Spaniard has collected for himself ten Grand Slam titles along with numerous other titles on tour. Debuting at the event in 2004, Nadal’s only loss came in his debut match against Czech
Jiri Novak. However, having bounced back since then the Spaniard has amassed a sixteen match winning streak for singles rubbers including his two wins in the tie against Belgium this year. Playing Ruben Bemelmans and Olivier Rochus in their hometown, Nadal
enjoyed straight sets victories in his singles rubbers against them as he helped Team Spain move into the quarterfinal against team America.
Joining Nadal in the line-up is another “top-tenner”, the current world number five David Ferrer. With Nadal absent from the line-up against Team America in July the burden fell to Ferrer, who shouldered it quite marvellously.
Winning both his ties against former world number one Andy Roddick and current world number seven, Mardy Fish, Ferrer helped spearhead Spain into the semi-finals.
Also joining in the line-up are world number nineteen Fernando Verdasco and world number twenty six Feliciano Lopez. Two strong clay court specialists with excellent records this season, the pair is expected to boost up the playing
force as the team readies herself to take on the equally star-studded Team France.
Although France is yet to announce her line-up, the expected players include the inform Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the athletic Gael Monfils and the rising star, Gilles Simon.
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