Spain's skipper Emilio Sanchez Vicario unveiled Tuesday his five-man squad for the Davis Cup semi-final against the United States with world number one Rafa Nadal his linchpin. Nadal, semi-finalist at the just finished US Open but who dethroned Roger Federer as the top-ranked player after winning the French Open, Wimbledon and the Olympics, features alongside David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco, Feliciano Lopez and reserve Nicolas Almagro.
The September 19 to 21 encounter in Madrid pits Spain against the country they beat in the 2004 final on home clay, Nadal playing a key part as he began his rise to prominence. But the 22-year-old is showing signs of fatigue wit hhis US loss to andy Murray his 84th match of the year.