30 Nov 2011

Nadal up for Davis Cup final

1:18 pm on 30 November 2011

World tennis number 2 Rafael Nadal says he's fully motivated to help Spain win a 5th Davis Cup title when they take on Argentina in this weekend's final in Seville.

Spain have won the competition four times in 11 years, are unbeaten in 20 home ties and will be playing on their preferred clay-court surface in front of a noisy home crowd but Nadal and David Ferrer are going into the match less than fresh.

Nadal and fifth-ranked Ferrer competed at the season-ending ATP Tour Finals in London last week, the latter reaching the semi-finals before falling to eventual winner Roger Federer.

Nadal has ended the season in poor form but he says he won't be using the Davis Cup to inspire him to return to his best next year.

World number 11 Juan Martin del Potro and 64th-ranked David Nalbandian have not played a competitive match since October and it remains to be seen whether the break will have given the two Argentines an edge.