Tue Sep 9 16:42:45 2008

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Nadal will lead Spain against U.S.; Blake out

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Madrid, Spain (Sports Network) - Wimbledon, four-time French Open and Olympic champion Rafael Nadal will lead Spain against the visiting and defending champion United States in their Davis Cup semifinal next week.

In addition to the top-ranked Nadal, Spanish captain Emilio Sanchez also selected David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez. The Americans, captained by Patrick McEnroe, announced last week that their team would be comprised of Andy Roddick, James Blake and the twin Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike. But on Tuesday, McEnroe announced that an "exhausted" Blake was being replaced by Sam Querrey, who will make his Davis Cup debut next week.

The best-of-five tie will be held from September 19-21 on a temporary clay court at Madrid's Plaza de Toros Las Ventas.

The Spain-USA winner will visit the Argentina-Russia winner in the final in November. The Argentines will host the Russians next week.

The United States and Spain will meet for the ninth time in their history and for the fifth time since 2000. The Americans are 5-3 against Spain, winning the last meeting in a World Group quarterfinal last year in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Established in 1900, Davis Cup is the world's largest annual international men's team competition, with 127 nations competing this year. The U.S. leads all nations with 32 titles. The Americans beat a visiting Russian squad in last year's finale in Portland.