David Nalbandian

David Nalbandian wanted Rafael Nadal to play in the Davis Cup final for Spain - but he is not going to complain about anything that boosts Argentina's chances of lifting the trophy for the first time.

Tendinitis forced the world number one to pull out of this weekend's showdown in Mar del Plata, the first time Argentina will host the final.

"I wanted Nadal to be in this final," said Nalbandian. "He is a friend of mine and missing this decisive chance is not nice at all.

Confidence is running high in the Argentine team with three days to go until the first ball is struck at the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final between Argentina and Spain in Mar del Plata.

“Today, I would say we can win all five points,” said Argentine captain Alberto Mancini at Tuesday’s press conferences at the Estadio Islas Malvinas. “The boys are playing very well in practice.”

Argentina captain Alberto Mancini finds only so much comfort in knowing Rafael Nadal won’t be playing in the Davis Cup final.

The top-ranked Spaniard pulled out of the best-of-five championship because of tendinitis in his knee.

“Even without Nadal, Spain is a strong team,” Mancini said in Mar del Plata, the beachside resort town that will host the final. “We can’t relax.”

The best-of-five series opens Friday with two singles matches. Doubles is Saturday, with the reverse singles Sunday.

Spain captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario is not worried about the prospect of facing a hostile Argentine crowd in the Davis Cup final this weekend..

"We know the public here understand tennis, it's a sport which is well followed," Sanchez Vicario told reporters in the resort of Mar del Plata where the final will be played from Nov. 21-23.

"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."

Juan Martin del Potro began practicing for the Davis Cup final with his Argentine teammates Monday after returning from the Masters Cup.

The 20-year-old Del Potro was eliminated from the seaon-ending tournament in China on Thursday and missed the first few days of training for the Nov. 21-23 final against Spain in Mar del Plata.

Del Potro is ranked No. 9 and is joined on the Argentine team by No. 11 Nalbandian, Agustin Calleri and Jose Acasuso.

Juan Martin del Potro

Two years ago everyone was saying “Watch out for this tall guy from Argentina, he’s going to be good.” Then he went quiet. But since Wimbledon the form of the 1.98m (6ft 6in) gentle giant from Tandil has been phenomenal. He won 23 matches on the run until losing to Andy Murray in the US Open quarterfinals, and continued that form by winning 13 of his 17 matches leading into the Tennis Masters Cup. As a result, he goes into the final as Argentina’s No. 1, having dislodged the talismanic David Nalbandian.

General

- This is the 97th Davis Cup since the competition began in 1900, and the 28th since the introduction of the World Group in 1981.

- 120 nations competed in Davis Cup by BNP Paribas this year.

- The breakdown by surface for all Davis Cup Finals (including this year) is as follows:

Outdoor 69
Grass 55
Indoor 27
Clay 22
Carpet 11
Hard 8

(Note: 1975 Final (South Africa d. India by walkover) not included in above figures)

The world's top players have backed Roger Federer to recover from the latest in a string of defeat's that has many claiming his career is in terminal decline.

 Argentine star David Nalbandian said Friday he hoped that world number one Rafael Nadal would win his battle to be fit for the Davis Cup final even if it meant the host country would have a tougher task to capture a maiden success.

"Of course I hope that Nadal comes - even if it makes it tougher," world number 11 Nalbandian told reporters as he prepared for the November 21-23 battle in the Argentine city of Mar del Plata.

 Jose Acasuso replaced off-form Guillermo Canas as Argentina named their team on Tuesday for the Davis Cup final at home to Spain later this month.

Acasuso's inclusion was the only change to the side which beat Russia in September's semi-final, with David Nalbandian, Juan Martin del Potro and Agustin Calleri keeping their places, the Argentine Tennis Association said in a statement.

Del Potro, 20, is Argentina's highest-ranked player at number eight in the world, followed by Nalbandian who is eleventh.