Nadal to lead favourites Spain in Davis Cup final

Madrid: World number two Rafa Nadal will lead favourites Spain in the Davis Cup final against Argentina next month, captain Albert Costa said on Tuesday.

Nadal will be joined by world number five David Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco, the same quartet that beat France 4-1 in the semi-finals in September. Marcel Granollers has been named as a reserve. "We have to prove we are favourites on the court and if we aren`t 100 percent we will struggle," Costa told a news conference. "Argentina play a brutally high standard of tennis and when they represent their country they give their all." Four-times winners Spain claimed their third title in Argentina in 2008 and federation president Jose Luis Escanuela warned it would be a tough battle against players used to his team`s preferred surface. "They are the worst rivals possible on clay," said Escanuela. "When we went to Mar del Plata (in 2008) the Argentine public were very hostile. "I`m not going to ask Spanish fans to repeat this hostility but that they create a heated atmosphere and support the Spanish team with passion because this will be a very important factor in helping us to win." Spain`s team, unbeaten in their last 20 home ties, will gather in Seville on Friday where the Dec. 2-4 final is to be played on a specially constructed clay court in a 22,000 capacity arena. The arrival of Nadal and Ferrer will depend on how they fare at the ATP World Tour Finals in London this week. Bureau Report