Davis Cup - Nadal to lead Spain

World number one Rafael Nadal will lead Spain's Davis Cup team against the United States for their semi-final in Madrid next week, captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario has confirmed.
Along with Nadal, Sanchez Vicario called up David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco, Feliciano Lopez and Nicolas Almagro for the tie, with the latter named as cover for the four-man team in case of any setbacks during the preparations.

"It takes a while to adapt to playing at altitude and if all the players are there from the outset, we are better able to cope with any emergencies that may occur," Sanchez Vicario said.

He denied Almagro's presence was prompted by any worries that Nadal may be suffering from fatigue after he was knocked out of the US Open in the semi-finals two days ago.

"Rafa has had a spectacular season and I am delighted because he has a lot of confidence at present," Sanchez Vicario said.

"He lost a match but the tiredness and stress are within normal limits. He has a few days to recover, to sleep and relax, before he comes here. He is very enthusiastic about this tie and when he's like that there is no problem."

The semi-final against the holders will be held outdoors on clay in Madrid's 21,000-seat bullring at Las Ventas on September 19-21.

"The United States are the champions, have a great team spirit, and have been together for many years," Sanchez Vicario said. "All the games will be very difficult and it should be a great spectacle."

Sam Querrey will replace an "exhausted" James Blake in the US team to face Spain, captain Patrick McEnroe said.

Blake has played in every Davis Cup tie for the US since 2005 and last year helped them win their first title in 12 years.

"James is just physically and mentally exhausted after a gruelling summer," McEnroe said. "He said he needed a break and we respect that.

"This is also a great opportunity for Sam, who has had a solid year, strong results on clay and has been a loyal practice partner for this team."

The 20-year-old Querrey, ranked 40th in the world, won his first ATP title in March and recently enjoyed his best performance at a grand slam, reaching the last 16 at the US Open.

He will be making his first Davis Cup appearance. McEnroe had said last week that Blake would play against Spain along with former world number one Andy Roddick and Bob and Mike Bryan.

Russia captain Shamil Tarpishchev has called up Davis Cup newcomer Igor Kunitsyn for their semi-final tie against Argentina in Buenos Aires.

The 26-year-old Kunitsyn, ranked number 76 in the world, replaces Mikhail Youzhny, who has not regained top form after missing the US Open with a neck injury.

Tarpishchev also included world number six Nikolay Davydenko, 20th-ranked Igor Andreev, Dmitry Tursunov (26) and Marat Safin (39) for the September 19-21 tie on clay.

Tarpishchev has not named the alternate: "We'll see how everyone is doing before picking the four guys for the tie," he said.

Russia, who reached the final last year, are bidding for their third Davis Cup title after winning in 2002 and 2006.

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