• Medvedev, Baja.Russia, rival of Spain, loses his best trick
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The new Davis Cup dresses this Monday long in Madrid. Gone are the qualifiers scattered throughout the year and comes the new format devised by the Gemos Piqué Kosmos group. The tournament has been compressed in a one-week sprint: 18 teams, almost a hundred tennis players and four rounds in a single venue , the Magic Box. Spain, with Rafael Nadal just arrived from London as number one until the end of the year, debuts on Tuesday against Russia in search of his sixth Salad Bowl.

The selection is host but does not choose surface, which at this point of the year is imposed: well put in already in November, it is only possible to play in a fast track under roof, precisely the one that used to be before when playing a tie away from home and the rivals wanted harm. "Obviously it is not our favorite surface, but we are all aware to get the best possible," Nadal admitted.

The Mallorcan is the only novelty in Spain regarding the team that played the semifinals last year against France. The manacorense had to resign on that occasion because of the knee injury he suffered at the US Open, but this time it does not fail. He arrives with very little margin, because he landed as soon as he fell out of the Masters Cup, but this Sunday he already trained in the Magic Box.

«It's a new competition and you have to be vigilant. The first thing is to understand it in the proper way and to know that each match is vital, ”said the left-hander. "We have had a complicated group," said the number one.

«I find Nadal in good physical shape. Maybe he is not as happy as he could be if he had played the Masters final, but he feels good, he is very good and ready to play, ”said Bruguera in his appearance before the media in the Magic Box. The captain trusts the same block a year ago. Spain is the only selection with two top 10, as well as Nadal will be Roberto Bautista . The Spaniard, who has won the last seven titles of his hard track race (including this year in Doha), has completed the best season of his life and closes as world number nine.

The national team will be able to count on Pablo Carreño , who last year also got into the top 10 before the injuries made him derail. In fact, after retiring last month in Vienna due to back problems, he preferred to resign from the 1000 Masters in Paris and arrive in conditions for the Davis Cup. Marcel Granollers as a doubles specialist (winner of the 1000 Masters of Canada and finalist of the US Open this year) and Feliciano López complete the selection .

Spain fell in Group B along with Russia and Croatia, a tough draw even though the casualties of Daniil Medvedev and Marin Cilic have softened the road, more on the side of Croatia than Russia. Cilic resigned because of the knee problems he has been dragging for a year and a half and has left his team with only one player in the top 100, Borna Coric . Of course, for the doubles he has three top 20 in the world in the discipline: Ivan Dodig, Mate Pavic and Nikola Mektic .

Medvedev, who lost his three matches of the ATP Finals, has come down from the tournament at the last minute out of fatigue, but Russia still has Karen Khachanov , number 17 in the world, and Andrey Rublev , number 23. In principle, Tuesday Khachanov will be Nadal's rival, who has won the six times they have faced each other, four of them on hard court.

The Davis Cup will premiere this Monday with Croatia-Russia, Italy-Canada and Belgium-Colombia. Spain will not debut until Tuesday, while Serbia will do so on Wednesday. And there will appear the other great attraction of the tournament: Novak Djokovic . Although Nole suffered discomfort in the elbow during his defeat in the Masters Cup against Federer, he was very optimistic after training Sunday at the Magic Box without feeling any discomfort: "I have not noticed anything in training, everything is fine" .

The Serbian was enthusiastic about the new competition: "It is interesting to have 89 players in the same place. It is a challenge for the organization, but a change in team competitions was needed to make them more interesting for the public and for the marketing. "

"And the Davis Cup is the most historic competition. And the one I enjoyed the most," said the Serbian. "It looks like the Olympic Games, which is not in teams but in which you represent your country," he said. "Apart from what the format is, being on my team is a priority for me. I always try to square my calendar," Djokovic said.

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