4. Spain fielding their strongest team
In recent years, the Spanish Federation had a hard time getting the top players to play Davis Cup. This resulted in mediocre results and a relegation from the World Group in 2015, after a loss to Brazil. Last year, Spain fielded a weak team in the Group I Quarterfinals against Russia and were denied the comeback to World Group. This year, the Spaniards are leaving nothing to chance, and are going all out even against the smaller countries. In the Play-Offs, Spain is facing India. Even though India has no players in the Top 100, and their best doubles player Rohan Bopanna is not playing, Spain still nominated Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer for singles, and the Lopez duo for doubles, making Spain huge favorites. India, a growing tennis market, is capitalizing on this great opportunity. A lot of exposure has been done to get as many fans as possible to get to the tie headlined by Nadal, Ferrer and Paes.
