Spain is set to host Germany in the Davis Cup World Group quarter final tie at the Plaza de Toros in Valencia in a 10600-seater venue, a famous bullring built in 1850s.
Valencia is set to host a Davis Cup tie for the fifth time but it will be the first time since 2003, when Spain beat Croatia 5-0 in the World Group quarter finals.
Spain and Germany will meet in a Davis Cup tie for the 17th time in the history of this event, but for the first time since 2014, when Germany beat the Spanish “Armada” in the first round in Frankfurt.
Germany leads 10-6 in the past 16 head-to-head matches, but Spain has won three of the last four meetings and the last three ties at home.
The “King of Clay” Rafael Nadal will make his come-back to the Davis Cup for the first time since September 2016, when he helped Spain team win against India. Rafa will return to the court for the first time since he withdrew from the Australian Open match against Marin Cilic last January due to injury problems. He was forced to skip Acapulco, Indian Wells and Miami due to a hip injury and is expected to make his return on the ATP Tour in Monte-Carlo. The Spanish team captained by Sergi Bruguera will feature Roberto Bautista Agut, Marc Lopez, Feliciano Lopez and David Ferrer. Pablo Carreno Busta got an injury on his hand and has been replaced by doubles specialist Marc Lopez, who will play alongside Feliciano Lopez in the doubles match.
Nadal will play in the second match against Phillip Kohlschreiber on Friday. He was asked how close he was to 100 % during the press conference.
“I was not good in mathematics at school. So I don’t know about percentages, but I am here to play, and to play as well as possible. From the beginning my idea was to be here, but we have to be respectful with the injury. Sergi Bruguera believes I am ready, and I believe too
In a recent interview with Tennis World Spanish, Nadal admitted that he didn’t even know that he had taken the world number 1 spot from Roger Federer.
“To be honest I didn’t know that I was back as the world number 1. Last year I was excited to end the year to end the year as world number 1”, said Nadal.
“Now I only hope that my body answers well because since Shanghai I have five complicated months. When I had recovered from the knee injury, I was affected by the Psoas lesion in Australia and I cried because of the frustration as well as in Acapulco. I am very willing to play again and I am here to try to do it. Injuries are a reality for a sportsman, but they mean missing tournaments that will never come back. For the future my dream is to be happy, healthy and be with the people I love. Then play tennis as long as possible”.
Spain will also rely on the experience of local star David Ferrer, who boasts an impressive record of 27 wins to just 4 defeats in his 31 Davis Cup appearances.
The German team will be bidding to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2007. Spain won five Davis Cup titles since 2000, but has not reached the semifinals since 2012, when they went on to finish runner-up to Czech Republic.
Spain hosted Germany in a similar bullring venue at the Plaza de Toros de Puerto Banus in Marbella nine years ago.
Spain beat Great Britain in Marbella on clay in the first round last February, but the home team starts as the favourite in front of their very supportive fans.
Spain will face a strong German team led by Alexander Zverev, who has recently boosted his confidence by reaching the final in Miami, where he finished runner-up to John Isner. The German Next Gen star won his first Masters 1000 title on clay in Rome last year. Zverev has a record of three wins and three defeats in his past six appearances in the Davis Cup. The team captained by Michael Kohlmann also features Phillip Kohlschreiber, Jan-Lennard Struff, Maximilian Marterer and Tim Puetz.
