Tired Spanish side offers hope to Team Argentina in Davis Cup Finals – Tennis News
A busy tennis season for the top Spanish stars have taken its toll out of them, leaving them exhausted for the all-prestigious Davis Cup Finals against Team Argentina, to be played this week. The Spanish spearheads, world number two Rafael Nadal and fifth ranked David Ferrer have been playing non-stop tennis throughout the current season and have just reached home after suffering dismissals from the circuit grand finale, the Barclays ATP (association of Tennis professionals) World Tour Finals in London.
It is said by many that fatigue of Spaniards might help Team Argentina to come up with a stunning victory over the hot favourites in the final showdown of the year. The Davis Cup Finals will be played on the clay courts of Seville, Spain, from Friday to Sunday this week, with the Spaniards defending their prestigious title against the crafty Argentine competitors.
Team Spain will be lead by Nadal in the competition, with world number 20 Feliciano Lopez, 24th ranked Fernando Verdasco and Ferrer on his back. The Spaniards are eyeing to clinch the glory at the ITF (International Tennis Federation) mega event for the third time in four years when they meet their opponents on Friday. They are up against an experienced Argentine side, led by the former US Open champion, Juan Martin Del Potro, accompanied by the world number 26, Juan Monaco, 29th ranked Juan Ignacio Chela and the former world number three, David Nalbandian.
The Spanish squad heavily relies on its two top guns, Nadal and Ferrer, who have a 25-0 combined record in singles rubbers being played at the Davis Cup at home. The two top ranked Spaniards had a busy 2011 ATP season and the final on Friday will be test of their physical fitness on the court.
“We're all physically tired but this is a final so it's the last push,” Ferrer admitted in a news conference. “We want to get this victory ... for us this is very important.”
By the time Nadal and Ferrer were labouring out extremely hard in London, the Argentine squad was training hard on the clay courts of Barcelona to get prepared for the final showdown.
“The players have been making a big effort over the last three weeks,” Argentina captain Tito Vazquez said. “They have sacrificed their normal schedule and devoted energy to this tie. I'm very proud of them.”
Being the home favourites in the competition, Team Spain will also be under huge pressure to come up to the expectations of the local crowd and might give bleak opportunities to the Argentines to take the better of them this weekend.
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