Argentinean tennis star David Nalbandian has denied reports that he intends to quit the Argentinean Davis Cup team following his country’s dramatic loss to Spain in the 2008 Davis Cup final in Mar del Plata this weekend.

Nalbandian’s name had been added to the casualty list for the Davis Cup following the resignation of both captains of the Davis Cup finalists on Monday.

“For me, it’s really an honour to represent my country,” Nalbandian told reporters. “I’m going to continue defending these colours in the best way possible. For me, playing the Davis Cup is the best and I’m upset that people have doubted me.”

While Nalbandian reaffirmed his commitment to the Argentinean Davis Cup cause, he was also open about the heartache he suffered after watching Jose Acasuso go down to Fernando Verdasco in the decisive Davis Cup match on Sunday.

“I feel bad about the defeat,” Nalbandian said. “They were tough, tense moments we went through. This was our worst defeat. We had a sinister weekend. We’ve played in two Davis Cup finals in the last three years and I still think we can win it.”

Both captains of the teams that contested the Davis Cup final have stepped down from their positions following Spain’s surprise 3-1 defeat of Argentina in Mar del Plata.

Argentina’s Alberto Mancini was the first to vacate his position, quitting as Argentinean Davis Cup team captain after 3 years spent leading the team. Mancini joined the Argentinean team in 2005 and guided his players to two Davis Cup finals during his tenure.

“It’s the end of a cycle, and one during which we got to the final twice and the semi-finals once,” Mancini told Sky Sports. “I’m satisfied with what I’ve been able to do.”

Emilio Sanchez Vicario, the victorious Spanish Davis Cup captain, announced his retirement just hours later.

“I will not be there for the tie against Serbia”  Sanchez Vicario said. “I started something three years ago and the cycle is now complete with this reward for all the players, and I hope that whoever replaces me can share all the magical moments I have experienced.”

Albert Costa is expected to take over the captaincy of the Spanish Davis Cup team for the coming year. Argentina have yet to name a replacement for Alberto Mancini.

The 2008 Davis Cup title was decided in the fourth match of the tournament on Sunday, when Spain’s Fernando Verdasco came back from 2 sets down to defeat Argentina’s Jose Acasuso 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in a 5 set thriller.

“It’s like a dream come true - it’s the most beautiful day of my life,” Verdasco told Sky Sports after the match. “It’s a nice sensation. It’s a great day for all the people in Spain.”

Juan Martin del Potro and David Ferrer had originally been scheduled to contest the 4th match of the 2008 Davis Cup final, however an injury to del Potro and the late withdrawal of David Ferrer saw Verdasco and Acasuso called on to fill the breach.

Acasuso had the better of the early running in the match, recovering well after losing the 1st set to win the next two sets. However Verdasco refused to give up, and helped by a series of unforced errors by Acasuso, slowly reeled in his opponent, ending the match with a convincing 6-1 victory in the final set.

“It was an incredible match - all the guys were so nervous. Fernando was just the better player - he’s very strong,” said Spanish captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario.

Argentina are on the verge of losing the 2008 Davis Cup final to Spain, after the Spanish team notched up their second Davis Cup point yesterday, defeating the host nation in the doubles rubber.

David Nalbandian and Augustin Callieri of Argentina won the first set for Argentina before Spain powered back into the match, taking the next three sets to win the third match of the 2008 Davis Cup final 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (5), 6-3.

The result leaves Spain 2-1 up in the five match final, which means the Spanish will need to win only one of the two remaining singles matches to secure their fourth Davis Cup title. Argentina, meanwhile, faces the tough task of winning two consecutive Davis Cup matches if they wish to take the title.

“We have to keep fighting, there are still two points to play,” Argentina coach Alberto Mancini was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. “We know it’s hard, but we can do it. We have to overcome this difficult moment and get our hopes up.”

The Argentineans have also learnt that they may be forced to contest Sunday’s singles matches without top ranked Juan Martin del Potro, who is suffering from a leg injury.

Feliciano Lopez gave the Spanish Davis Cup team a fighting chance of upsetting Argentina for the Davs Cup title when he defeated Juan Martin del Potro in the second singles match of the tournament.

Lopez threw the kitchen sink at del Potro as he battled from a set down to claim an impressive 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-3 victory. The result saw Spain draw level with Argentina going into Saturday’s doubles fixture.

The 3 hour long battle between Lopez and del Potro left the large Argentinean crowd silent, and Lopez ecstatic.

“I never felt this happy before in my career,” Lopez said. “It’s great to win a match like today, in a Davis Cup final, away from home.”

Lopez will be in action again on Saturday when he teams up with Fernando Verdasco to play Jose Acasuso and Augustin Calleri.

Lopez win has seen the Spanish priced favourites for Saturday’s Davis Cup doubles match. William Hill has priced Lopez and Verdasco 8/15 to defeat their Argentinean hosts.

David Nalbandian secured a convincing victory in the first match of the 2008 Davis Cup final yesterday, defeating Spain’s David Ferrer 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 to give Argentina an early lead in the tournament.

Nalbandian’s decision to skip the Masters Cup in Shanghai to prepare for the Davis Cup final paid off as the Argentinean easily put away the highest ranked Spanish player at the tournament.

“I played a very good match. I was very solid from the first point and I was playing at a very high level,” Nalbandian told the AFP. “It was a short match so that’s good for the rest of the weekend.”

Approximately 11,000 spectators crowded into the Islas Malvinas Stadium to watch Nalbandian play Ferrer in the opening match of the 2008 Davis Cup final.

“I didn’t think it would be so easy for him,” a despondent Ferrer said after the match. “We have always had close matches in the past. He was playing at a really high level. We have already talked about Nadal not being here. We miss him but we have to make do with what we’ve got.”

With just hours to go before the 2008 Davis Cup final gets underway at the Islas Malvinas Stadium in Mar del Plata, William Hill has opened a selection of exciting Davis Cup betting markets.

The absence of Rafael Nadal has seen William Hill price Argentina as the 1/5 favourite to win the Davis Cup this weekend. Spain, who have never lost a Davis Cup fixture to the Argentineans, is a 10/3 outsider.

Along with outright betting, tennis fans can also bet on each of this weekend’s Davis Cup matches, in the match betting and handicap betting markets.

David Nalbandian is a 2/9 favourite to defeat David Ferrer in the opening match of the 2008 Davis Cup final, while Juan Martin del Potro is priced 1/4 favourite to defeat Feliciano Lopez in the second match of the weekend.

William Hill has also opened set betting markets for the 2008 Davis Cup final, where tennis fans can benefit from some excellent prices if they are able to predict the final score of any of the Davis Cup matches in sets. For example, David Nalbandian is priced 6/1 to defeat David Ferrer 3 sets to 2 while a 3 to 2 win for Ferrer will pay out at 7/1.

For more exciting Davis Cup betting markets, visit William Hill.

Argentina’s David Nalbandian will take on Spain’s David Ferrer in the opening match of the 2008 Davis Cup Final.

Nalbandian has expressed the hope that football legend and Argentinean national coach, Diego Maradona, will be in attendance to give the home team his support.

“I’d love Maradona to show up,” Nalbandian was quoted as saying by the AFP. “We have a unique and historic chance to win the Davis Cup.”

The second match on Friday will see Juan Martin del Potro represent Argentina against Spain’s Feliciano Lopez. 

While the Argentineans are a favourite to go into the doubles rubber with a 2-0 lead, Spain looks to have an advantage in the doubles rubber where Spaniards Lopez and Fernando Verdasco will play Augustin Callieri and Jose Acasuso.

Spain’s captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario believes that Rafael Nadal’s absence may also give his side an edge, with the absence of the world number one raising expectations for an Argentinean win.

“Argentina will be under much more pressure to win in the absence of our Rafa. But we have a great chance to win and we have to transmit that to the players,” Snachez Vicario said.

The players in the Spanish Davis Cup team are preparing themselves to come up against a partisan Argentinean crowd when they take on Argentina at the Islas Malvinas stadium in Mar del Plata this weekend.

Interest in tennis has reached fever pitch in Argentina this week, with the country eagerly anticipating the forthcoming Davis Cup final clash with Spain. The tournament will also offer many Argentineans their first opportunity to see rising star Juan Martin del Potro in action.

“We know the public here understand tennis, it’s a sport which is well followed,” Spanish captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario told reporters. “It’s normal for them to support the home players and to want them to win. I hope it will all be within the sporting parameters in which tennis is played. We are more worried about the players.”

The absence of Rafael Nadal from the Davis Cup final makes Argentina the favourite to win the event, with the Argentineans boasting an unbeaten home record stretching back a decade. However, some still believe that Nadal’s absence diminishes the importance of the event.

“Personally, I wanted him to be here because he’s a friend and it’s not nice to miss the Davis Cup final,” Argentina’s David Nalbandian said. “It’s a shame because to face the world number one in a Davis Cup final at home would have been really motivating.”

Juan Martin del Potro has joined his Davis Cup teammaters in Argentina as they continue preparations for the 2008 Davis Cup Final.

Del Potro returned to Argentina after exiting the 2008 Masters Cup in the group stage, and joined teammates David Nalbandian, Augustin Calleri and Jose Acasuso for training on Monday.

The Spanish Davis Cup team are also busy with their preparations for the 2008 Davis Cup final, with Feliciano Lopez, Marcel Granollers and Fernando Verdasco all attempting to adapt their games to the hard courts of Mar del Plata on Monday.

“We’re adapting as well as possible,” Spanish captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario told ESPN. “In some areas the ball’s bounce is different than on other courts, but that will affect us just as it will affect Argentina.”

The Spanish have already confirmed that David Ferrer and Feliciano Lopez will be representing them in the first two singles ties of the Davis Cup final, while Fernando Verdasco and Lopez will contest the doubles tie on Saturday.

Argentina have not confirmed their line-up for the weekend, although David Nalbandian is virtually certain to play in one of Friday’s singles matches.

“We’ll have to wait and see how David finishes Friday,” Acasuso said. “The initial plan is that he rest for Sunday, but it’s difficult to leave him out of doubles. It all depends on his physical state.”