Ferrer Leads Defending Champion Spain Against Switzerland; Serbia Hosts U.S.

© Getty ImagesNovak Djokovic and John Isner will face off in Davis Cup action.

Defending Davis Cup champion Spain opens its bid for a third straight Davis Cup title this weekend when it hosts Switzerland on clay at the Plaza De Toros de la Ribero in Logrono. Spain has won its past 18 home ties and also has a 20-tie winning streak on clay.

While Spain’s top three players of Rafael Nadal, Fernando Verdasco and Juan Carlos Ferrero will be absent from the first-round World Group tie, Switzerland – without World No. 1 Roger Federer – will still confront a clay-court powerhouse that includes David Ferrer, Tommy Robredo and Nicolas Almagro in the line-up.

“I always say that the biggest weapon for Spain is that we have a lot of players, we can maybe choose two teams,” Davis Cup captain Albert Costa said on Davis Cup Radio. “It’s important that these guys are in the team, but their replacements are huge players so that’s why it gives me confidence.”

Almagro, the 2008 clay-court match wins leader, opens the tie against World No. 19 Stanislas Wawrinka, who has not competed since the Australian Open due to the birth of his daughter. In the second rubber, in-form countryman Ferrer – who won the title at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel on Sunday – confronts 2009 Comeback Player of the Year Marco Chiudinelli.

In Belgrade, World No. 2 Novak Djokovic will attempt to lead Serbia into the World Group quarter-finals for the first time with victory over the United States, winners of 32 Davis Cup titles. Djokovic’s teammates include World No. 1 doubles player Nenad Zimonjic, Viktor Troicki and Janko Tipsarevic. The U.S. team features the top doubles team of Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, Sam Querrey and Davis Cup debutant John Isner.

“It’s a Davis Cup, you never know what’s going to happen. It’s unpredictable, but with the crowd hopefully we can get some wins,” said Djokovic, who captured his first title of the season last week at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships. “We hope that people will come in big numbers because home advantage is something we have to use.”

In Toulon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils will look to maintain France’s winning streak against Germany when the two nations face off for the eighth time. Germany last defeated France in Davis Cup action in the 1938 semi-finals, and has since lost four ties to its neighbour – most recently in 2006.

Former World No. 3 David Nalbandian steps into Argentina’s line-up, with the 2008 finalists facing Sweden in Stockholm. Meanwhile, Czech Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek begin the year-long quest to lead the Czech Republic into the final for a second straight season and open against Belgium.

In other ties, World No. 10 Marin Cilic will have home country advantage when Croatia plays Ecuador; Russia hosts India in Moscow; and 2009 semi-finalist Israel travels to Coquimbo to play Chile. The Israel-Chile tie will begin Saturday due to transportation delays in the wake of last week’s earthquake.

Match Schedule