Carlos Moyá: Germany is favorite to win Davis Cup tie

Spain’s Davis Cup captain, Carlos Moyá, played down his team’s chances of beating Germany in Frankfurt at the weekend, noting that Carsten Arriens’ side “is the favorite, because they are playing at home, in front of their fans and with the pressure on them to win. They are a tough side,” said Moyá.

The Spain captain will have to do without David Ferrer, who said he would not be available for this tie, world number one Rafa Nadal, who ended the Australian Open in agony from a back injury, and his highest-ranked doubles player Marc López. Moyá has named Feliciano López (ranked 26), Fernando Verdasco (33), doubles specialist David Marrero and debutant Roberto Bautista-Agut (52), who enjoyed a good run in Melbourne. Germany, seeking its first Davis Cup title since 1993, will field world number 12 Tommy Haas, Philipp Kohlschreiber (27), Florian Mayer (29) and Daniel Brands (68).

“We’ll do everything we can to win,” said López. “Germany has excellent players and playing away in the Davis Cup is a completely different experience because you have the whole crowd against you. It will be a pretty close tie against one of the toughest opponents we could have drawn in the first round.”

Both López and Verdasco have plenty of Davis Cup experience, winning the final together in 2008 against Argentina in Mar de Plata. That tie was played on an indoor hard court, the same surface selected by Germany in the Fraport Arena.