Argentina name David Nalbandian, Juan Martin Del Potro for singles; Marat Safin chooses Bangkok Open instead

Could Juan Martin del Potro and David Nalbandian be the perfect combination to win against the Russian team?

Argentina named David Nalbandian and Juan Martin del Potro to play in the singles in their Davis Cup world group semi-final against Russia at the weekend.

"David and Juan Martin will be the singles players," team captain Alberto Mancini told a news conference.

Argentina's team captain Alberto Mancini gives instructions to players Juan Martin Del Potro and David Nalbandian during a training session.

"We haven't decided on the doubles, it depends on what happens in Friday's opening two rubbers."

"Naming them now is a lift for team morale as they don't have to live with any uncertainty about who's going to play. Everyone knows their role and that is very positive."

David Nalbandian, his coach Martin Jaite and team's captain Alberto Mancini watch a flaw in the court's floor during a training session in Buenos Aires.

More complaints from David Nalbandian about the clay court.

Juan Martin del Potro looks relax and have no problem with the unpopular court surface.

Agustin Calleri and Guillermo Canas complete the Argentina team for the Sept 19-21 tie.

Nalbandian warned that Russia would not struggle as much on the clay surface at the Parque Roca as other visiting teams.

"Playing on clay makes a big difference for Argentina against a lot of countries, but I don't think it will be like that against Russia," he said.

"They have players who are very strong on this surface and it's going to be tough."

As for the Russian team, Nikolay Davydenko has started his practice along with Igor Andreev and Dmitry Tursunov.

Russian Davis Cup team captain Shamil Tarpischev and player Nikolay Davydenko
prepare for a training session.

Dmitry Tursunov looking cute.

Earlier on Marat Safin has decided to take part in the Thailand Open instead of helping his country in the Davis Cup.

The world number 39 has pulled out of the competition because of the distance between Argentina and Thailand.

This time Marat Safin is not wearing that Russian shirt.

Safin said on his website that he needed points to improve his world ranking so he decided to participate in the Thailand Open which is scheduled from September 21-28.

''I decided to pull out from the Russian Davis Cup team because I want to concentrate on the Thailand Open,'' said the former top-ranked player in the world.

He felt the trip from Buenos Aires to Bangkok would be very long and tiring and could make it difficult for him to play well in Bangkok in order to get points.

He asked Russia's captain Shamil Tarpischev to release him from the Davis Cup squad and Tarpischev agreed.

''My aim by the end of this season is to be in the top 20 again,'' he said.

Safin will fly to Bangkok on Sept 21. The tournament will also feature a number of world-class players including number three Novak Djokovic.

(Via Reuters UK, Bangkok Post, Images via Yahoo! Sport)

Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis begins this week

The women tennis players were at the main draw and did a press conference for the Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis 2008 held at Hotel Grand Pacific Le Daiba on September 15, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan.


The main draw of the tournament is to be held at Ariake Colosseum from September 16 to September 21.

Here are some pretty pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Left to right: Amelie Mauresmo, Daniela Hantuchova, Ai Sugiyama and Ana Ivanovic.

Ana Ivanovic, Dinara Safina and Elena Dementieva.

Jelena Jankovic and Dominika Cibulkova

Alize Cornet works her locks.

Elena Dementieva can work it better and sexier.

But Daniela Hantucova is the most natural among the girls.

(Images via www.toray-ppo.co.jp, zimbio.com)

New WTA site: Challenge with top women’s tennis players, virtually

Back in May, I made a post about the WTA "Superheroes" marketing campaign.

The video is finally up on www.ChallengeYourHero.com – a new site launched by the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour where tennis fans can face off against some of the top women’s tennis players in the world – virtually.



The web site is designed for fans to mix videos of themselves matching up to some of the greatest players in the world, such as Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, or Jelena Jankovic.

Here's the best thing, creators of the best videos, as determined by the Tour, will be eligible for a chance to win the grand prize – a trip for two to the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, Qatar!

Here's what you have to do:

1. Visit ChallengeYourHero.com and create a free account.
2. Users then upload a video of themselves playing tennis, in addition, still photos and audio can also be uploaded.
3. The user then selects the ‘hero’ they want to challenge.
4. The web based video mixer allows users to make cut-scene video combining their own tennis shorts with those of a pro; it also allows users to stylize video, add audio and transitions.
5. Once a video has been completed and published, it is available for public viewing in the gallery of the site.
6. Users can also embed the video on other sites or share it using popular social networking sites.

Mardy Fish to replace injured Bob Bryan for US

Injured doubles player Bob Bryan has been replaced on the U.S. team by Mardy Fish for the Davis Cup semifinal against Spain this weekend, the second high-profile loss for the American side.

Bryan is recovering in the U.S. after receiving a cortisone shot for an inflamed left shoulder, team spokesman Tim Curry said.

The U.S. Davis Cup team pose before a press conference in Madrid. Left to right: Sam Querrey, Andy Roddick, team captain Patrick McEnroe, Mike Byran and Mardy Fish.

Singles player James Blake, who has been a regular on the U.S. team since 2005, pulled out last week citing exhaustion.

It will be the first time in 16 Davis Cup matches that Bryan and his twin brother, Mike, won’t play together. The Bryans, who are 14-2 since debuting in 2003, helped the U.S. win the Davis Cup last year.

“I aggravated it pretty bad at the (U.S.) Open and only made things worse,” Bryan said on the Davis Cup Web site. “I knew if I wanted a chance to play the rest of this year, I had to shut it down now. I can’t even hit any balls.”

The 23rd-ranked Fish practiced on the clay Tuesday with Mike Bryan and could line up with him in doubles.

Andy Roddick during a practice session at the Las Ventas Bullring in Madrid.

The U.S. team's Andy Roddick, left, plays the ball to Sam Querrey during a practice.

The other team members are Andy Roddick and Sam Querrey, who replaced Blake.

“When you have a pair like the Bryans that know each other well … a match against them is always difficult,” Spain captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario said.

“But Fish reached the quarters of Australian and U.S. Open and comes with talent even if he doesn’t play doubles in a consistent fashion.”

The best-of-five series begins Friday with two singles matches, followed by the doubles on Saturday and reverse singles Sunday.

Fish is 5-5 in Davis Cup play, including 4-4 in singles and 1-1 in doubles. His last appearance was in 2004, when he won one singles match and lost another as Spain beat the U.S. in the final in Seville.

The matches will be played on red clay at the Las Ventas bullfighting arena.

The Spanish team is led by No. 1-ranked Rafael Nadal.

Spain's team captain Emilio Sanchez, speaks during a press conference. Left to right: Rafael Nadal, Emilio Sanchez, Fernando Verdasco and Nicolas Almagro.

Rafael Nadal doesn't really enjoy press conference.

Though Spain appears the overwhelming favourite now, Sanchez Vicario said the team was doing some adjusting of its own to the Spanish capital’s high altitude.

“The altitude is something that influences the game very much, but we feel positive here and we will look to play the best we can,” he said. “We came here early to accustom ourselves to it.”

(Via AP Sports, Images by Yahoo! Sports)