Nadal, Ferrer rule out Davis Cup defence in 2012 Olympic year

Dec 4, 2011, 21:29 GMT

Seville, Spain - Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer on Sunday ruled themselves out of any Spanish Davis Cup title defence in 2012, only hours after the powerful tennis nation won its fifth trophy in 12 years.

'For sure I will not play next year,' world number two Nadal said after clinching the winning point in a 3-1 defeat of Argentina, the third Davis trophy for Spain in the last four editions of the worldwide team event.

'In any Olympic year, playing Davis Cup is impossible.'

The oft-injured Nadal has been a recent critic of what he feels is a too-long ATP season. He will now have just three weeks to rest and train before beginning 2012 on December 29 in a well-paid exhibition event along with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in oil-rich Abu Dhabi.

Ferrer, 29, has had as tough a season as Nadal, reaching last week's semi-final of the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London before flying directly to Seville for the Davis Cup final.

'I'm a bit older now, and my body can't take as much punishment,' said the world number five. 'But there are other Spanish players who can take our places.'

Spain's 30-year-old Feliciano Lopez will be the third member of the Davis side to give the event a miss in 2012.

'Next year is a very special one, with the Olympics and the chance of playing twice at Wimbledon. I've been playing Davis Cup for seven years, and I have wear and tear on my body.'

Spanish captain Albert Costa said he would need some time to plot strategy with Nadal and company suddenly out of the picture: 'I need to speak with the president of the federation. Davis Cup has been a huge effort for us for many years now.'

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