Argentina faces Spain in Davis Cup final

Nov 20, 2008 - 7:54 PM MAR DEL PLANTA, Argentina (Ticker) -- Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro is looking forward to making the "dream" of winning the Davis Cup a reality when the final against Spain gets under way in Mar del Plata on Friday.

The team captained by Alberto Mancini are gunning for their first Davis Cup triumph after going close in 1981 and 2006.

This time, though, Argentina are playing as hosts and they will hope that can prove telling when singles matches start.

David Nalbandian, world-ranked 11, opens against David Ferrer, while Del Potro, who ended the ATP season in ninth place in the rankings, takes on Feliciano Lopez.

"Feliciano is very dangerous," Del Potro said. "His drive is so good, as well as his serve. This surface (indoor carpet) also helps him, but I have got used to the court too. Anyway, I have the weapons to beat him.

"I had some time to recover after playing the Masters Cup in Shanghai. (Friday) the dream of all of us starts and we must put everything aside and play."

Del Potro has been struggling with a toenail problem but insists he will be fine to play.

"I don't know whether I will have to be given an injection. The nail will not be an obstruction to playing tomorrow," he said.

Lopez, who was only unveiled as Spain's second singles player Thursday, is relishing the chance to play in the final.

"Fernando (Verdasco) and I were both prepared to play. I have the opportunity and hope I can play well and make things difficult for Juan Martin," he said. "The tie is still tough. Tomorrow, at the end of the day, we'll have a review, but so far, on paper, it looks difficult."

He also dismissed concerns about the surface at the Estadio Islas Malvinas, saying "It is not slow. To be honest, it is quite a bit faster than the surfaces we are used to playing, but not too much. It allows me to play well at the back of the court and I can attack too. All the players can adapt well."

Spain will certainly have their work cut out to claim victory given Argentina's impeccable home record in Davis Cup matches - the South Americans have not lost a home tie since 1998, winning 13 in a row, nine of them 5-0.

Nalbandian himself has never lost an opening rubber when playing at home, but expects an even game against Ferrer.

"He is a very complete player," Nalbandian said. "He does not have one strongest shot. He plays well at the back of the court. He is a fighter, so I must be aggressive. He will fight until the last ball and I know that if I want to beat him I have to play very well. If not, you cannot defeat Ferrer."

Rafael Nadal is the big absentee in Mar del Plata, the world's top player being ruled out with tendinitis in his knee.

And Mancini feels the lack of Nadal in the Spain team, along with home advantage, has made his Argentina side favorites.

"As we are home team and Rafa is not coming, I have no question Argentina are favourites," he said. "Anyway, since we knew about Rafa not coming, we've always made sure we were not relaxing. Spain have dangerous, very experienced players and we must play very well to beat them.

"The guys have ended the season in good form and our goal is to win the Davis Cup without relaxing."

Agustin Calleri and Jose Acasuso are scheduled to play the doubles on Saturday against Lopez and Verdasco, but Nalbandian could feature in that game if he is not too tired after his exploits the previous day.

"We've been training a lot since last week and I feel good enough to play the three days if necessary. Depending on how I feel after Friday, we'll decide what happens," Nalbandian said.