By Martyn Herman
LONDON, July 6 (Reuters) - Rafael Nadal will be missing when
Spain face France in this week's Davis Cup quarter-finals but
such is the depth of quality the holders boast they should stay
on course for a hat-trick of titles.
Having marched through the claycourt season undefeated and
regained his Wimbledon crown, world number one Nadal is having
treatment on his knees as he looks ahead to next month's U.S.
Open.
However, with France also lacking their number one
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Spain will still be favourites in Clermont
Ferrand.
"It's always a setback (to be without Nadal) but the players
going are very good," said Spain captain Albert Costa who will
rely on world No. 10 Fernando Verdasco, No. 12 David Ferrer,
Nicolas Almagro and Feliciano Lopez.
Counterpart Guy Forget will have been relieved to learn
Nadal was skipping the tie, to be played on a specially built
indoor hardcourt, but remained cautious about his side's
chances.
"It would have been silly to face the Spaniards on clay on
the Roland Garros centre court," said Forget. "We decided to
take them on where we play really well and where they are less
comfortable.
"Spain will not be as strong as they would have been but
Verdasco, Ferrer, Lopez and Almagro are very good players and
don't forget they won the Davis Cup without Nadal in 2008."
Forget, who is also without Richard Gasquet and Paul-Henri
Mathieu, pins much of his hopes on world number 17 Gael Monfils.
A slew of injuries and absentees have hit all four
quarter-finals which start on Friday with Croatia facing Serbia,
Chile playing Czech Republic and Russia hosting Argentina.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic will answer his call of duty though.
PERFECT TONIC
The new world number two had his Wimbledon hopes crushed by
Tomas Berdych in the semi-finals last week but hopes victory in
Split will act as the perfect tonic.
"I have to play Davis Cup next weekend so ... no break for
me," the 23-year-old said after his exit at the All England
Club.
Croatia will rely on Marin Cilic and the 31-year-old Ivan
Ljubicic, mainstay of their 2005 triumph, against the Serbs but
Mario Ancic and Ivo Karlovic are missing.
"I had planned to go for some vacation but it was
cancelled," said former world number three Ljubicic who has not
played Davis Cup since 2007.
The Czechs, runners-up to Spain last year, will be without
Berdych against Chile in what should be a red-hot atmosphere at
the Enjoy Tennis Centre in Coquimbo after he was injured while
losing to Nadal in Sunday's Wimbledon final.
The visitors are also without Radek Stepanek although Chile
will feel the loss of Fernando Gonzalez who is still sidelined
by the knee injury that prevented him playing at Wimbledon.
"I feel really bad about not playing the competition I like
the most," the former Olympic doubles champion said. "I wish
things were different but they aren't."
Russia look strong favourites to beat Argentina in Moscow in
a repeat of the 2006 final.
Nikolay Davydenko and Mikhail Youzhny seem a good bet for
singles points while the hosts also have Teimuraz Gabashvili and
Igor Kunitsyn.
Argentina have been weakened by the absence of injured U.S.
Open champion Juan Martin del Potro and much will depend on
former top-five player David Nalbandian.
Russia or Argentina will face Spain or France in the semis.
(Editing by Tony Jimenez. To query or comment on this story
email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
