DAVIS CUP
Rafa Nadal: Spain without ace for Davis Cup tie with Serbia
Spanish captain Conchita Martínez has confirmed that Nadal will not play in the country's quarter-final clash with Serbia in Belgrade.
Rafa Nadal will not feature for Spain in the country's Davis Cup quarter-final against Serbia, team captain Conchita Martínez confirmed on Tuesday.
The Spaniards face the Balkan nation at the Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade from Friday 7 to Sunday 9 April.
Carreño Busta, Ramos, Granollers and López
Spain will instead be represented by 19th-ranked Pablo Carreño Busta, Albert Ramos (24th), Marcel Granollers (41th) and doubles specialist Marc López.
World number seven Nadal, who played in the first-round win over Croatia, had already hinted he would sit out the tie, which coincides with a required rest period, unless it were held on clay.
However, the last-eight match-up is to take place on hard court.
Spain chasing first last-four spot in five years
Spain, five-time Davis Cup champions, are eyeing a place in the semi-finals for the first occasion since 2012.