Argentina number one Juan Martin del Potro was replaced by Jose Acasuso for the first reverse singles in the Davis Cup final on Sunday due to injury. Spain, leading 2-1, replaced off-form David Ferrer, their top-ranked player, with Fernando Verdasco. Del Potro pulled a muscle in his right leg during his defeat by Feliciano Lopez on Friday.
The 20-year-old, who rocketed into the top ten this year, had already been suffering from a toe injury. "I could have gone out and tried but I didn't want to risk having to pull out after a few games," Del Potro said in a television interview.
His replacement Acasuso, 26, is ranked 48th and has won five out of seven singles rubbers in the Davis Cup. Ferrer was outclassed by David Nalbandian in Friday's opening singles while Verdasco, 16th in the ATP rankings, was inspirational as he helped Lopez to win the doubles on Saturday.