Nadal and Ferrer to skip 2012 Davis Cup

Spain’s top two ranked tennis players, Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer, have confirmed they will not be playing in the 2012 Davis Cup.

Soon after helping their country lift the title for a fifth time on Sunday, Nadal and Ferrer told reporters that they will skip the tournament next year – with Ferrer revealing that he is retiring from Davis Cup duty altogether.

World number two Nadal scored the winning point against Juan Martin del Potro to help Spain beat Argentina 3-1 in Seville, but immediately after his victory he revealed he was taking a year out of the team to concentrate on his individual performance.

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Nadal told reporters: “Next year I will not play Davis Cup.

“It’s an Olympic year. I have been one of the players that plays the highest number of matches and I don’t want to overplay,” said Nadal, who appeared in a year-leading 82 ATP Tour matches in 2011.

He added: “I want a coherent calendar. So, next year, my participation in the Davis Cup is impossible. Then we will think about the future.”

Nadal has won 20 of his 21 Davis Cup matches since making his competition debut in 2004.

Meanwhile, world number five Ferrer confirmed that he is quitting the competition, saying: “This is the end of the party. I have been here for many years and we all look for our own calendar.

“I’m older, I probably don’t have a good physical condition, and I want to play at the Olympic Games in London,” added the 29-year-old, who has won 18 of his 22 matches since first appearing for Spain in 2006.

Doubles pairing Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco have confirmed their availability for Spain next year, with world number 10 Nicolas Almagro and world number 27 Marcel Granollers likely to play the singles in their opening round match against Kazakhstan in February next year.