One day after victorious Spanish Davis Cup captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario officially stepped down from his position at the head of the winning team from Spain, Alberto Mancini called it quits as the Argentine general.

During his tenure as Argentina’s captain, which began in 2004, the country has lost twice in finals, first against Russia in 2006 and most recently last weekend at home on the fast indoor hard courts of Mar del Plata.

Argentina, heavily favored against a visiting Spanish team that was without Rafael Nadal due to knee tendinitis, fell three matches to one after David Nalbandian opened the tie with a straight-set win over David Ferrer. It was all downhill after that, however, for the host nation. Juan Martin Del Potro lost to Feliciano Lopez, Lopez and Verdasco teamed up to win the doubles rubber over Nalbandian and Agustin Calleri, and Fernando Verdasco clinched the Davis Cup with a five-set win over Jose Acasuso. Acasuso also lost the final match in 2006 in a decisive fifth rubber to Marat Safin.

And now, Mancini has seen enough.

Too many controversies leading up and during the all-important seemed to damage Argentina’s efforts and surely took some of the fun out of it for Mancini. “We have to learn a lot from this but not just the players,” he explained. “The country as a whole, everyone, needs to learn to row in the same direction. It’s very difficult for us to row in the same direction, sometimes an effort is made but we need more. I always said we ought to be talking about tennis and not the venue. Everything became political. We lost focus a bit.

“I think we’ve had four wonderful years. There were very good victories and some other bad moments. Four years are enough. We’ve lived a number of situations together. This is a passion for me, but I know this is the right time to step aside. I want to. I am quite sad. Everybody is sad because we wanted to win the final. Losing the final at home is even more painful. However, sport makes you live difficult moments sometimes. You have to face it and lose with dignity.

“It’s the end of a cycle, and one during which we got to the final twice and the semifinals once,” Mancini said. “I’m satisfied with what I’ve been able to do.”

Some fans disagree, saying that the Argentines have underperformed and failed to capitalize on a golden opportunity by losing at home to Spain.

“After reaching two finals (2006 and 2008) and one semifinal is harsh”, said Mancini of the criticism of his team. “I don’t understand how anyone can think like this, it’s a lack of respect to me and the players.”

Nalbandian, on the other hand, will use the criticism and the disappointment as motivation to return. Just as Spain is losing its captain but getting back its top player, Nadal, so too is Argentina bringing back its No. 1 performer. Nalbandian has put an end to speculation that he is done with Davis Cup by saying that he will return.

“For me, it’s an honor to represent my country,” the Argentine insisted. “I’m going to continue defending the colors. Playing the Davis Cup is the best – I’m upset that people have doubted me.”

Nalbandian also called the loss to Spain “our worst defeat. We had a sinister weekend.” His return, however, will ensure that Argentina has very few of those “sinister” weekends in the future.

The Spanish Davis Cup team will have a new look when it opens its title defense in early March of 2009 at home against Novak Djokovic and Serbia. A captain is lost, but the No. 1 player in the world, presumably, is gained.

Captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario announced on Monday, one day after his team clinched the 2008 title, that he is stepping down as head man. The Spaniards stunned the host Argentines 3-1 in Mar del Plata, taking the doubles rubber and getting singles wins from Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco, who also teamed up to capture the doubles point.

“I will not be there for the tie against Serbia,” Sanchez said of Spain’s 2009 Davis Cup opener. The defending champs will host Novak Djokovic and company in early March. “I started something three years ago and the cycle is now complete with this reward for all the players, and I hope that whoever replaces me can share all the magical moments I have experienced,” Sanchez added.

Albert Costa, who was a member of Spain’s 2000 Davis Cup-winning squad and now coaches Lopez, is the favorite to replace Sanchez.

As for Argentine captain Alberto Mancini, he has also made a decision, but will not yet disclose his plans. “This is something I have already decided, but the only people who know are me and the people who need to be aware,” Mancini explained. “This is not the right moment to talk about that.” Argentina has still never won a Davis Cup title.

While the Spanish team will lose Sanchez Vicario, one can only assume that it will gain Rafael Nadal, the No. 1 player in the world. After all, he played a role in Spain’s quarterfinal and semifinal Davis Cup wins and he would have been a factor in the final had knee tendinitis not derailed the end of his season. Nadal opened Spain’s quarterfinal victory over Germany with a straight-set defeat of Nicolas Kiefer. He scored two singles wins, including the clincher, against the United States in the semifinals. Nadal overcame Sam Querrey in four sets on Day 1 and then finished off the tie with a straight-set demolition of Andy Roddick.

It also has to be assumed that Nadal will be more than eager to return to Davis Cup action based on what he had to say this week. He was not on hand in Mar del Plata, but he was certainly following all of the action.

Nadal  watched on television, “but not without a huge case of nerves,” as he pointed out.

“I’m so happy for them they really deserved it,” said Nadal. “It’s a pain for me not to be able to be there, but I’m embracing my teammates. The guys have done something impressive, winning away in Argentina. It’s tougher than our two Davis Cups at home (Barcelona, 2000 and Seville 2004). They have made more history in a spectacular way, this is something extraordinary.”

“Not being here is like a punishment for Rafa,” said one member of Nadal’s physio team, with whom the to-ranked player was spending the weekend. “He’s not enjoying his situation at all.”

“It’s impossible for me to be happier,” Nadal added.

Well, he might be even happier if he is on the court whenever Spain wins its fourth Davis Cup trophy.

Fernando Verdasco and Felciano Lopez made Spain easily forget Rafael Nadal…at least for one monumental weekend.

Spain, without the No. 1 player in the world, went into Mar del Plata and stunned the host Argentines 3-1 to win the 2008 Davis Cup. Verdasco clinched the title with a thrilling 6-3, 6-7(3), 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 over Jose Acasuso in thee hours and 56 minutes in the first reverse singles rubber on Sunday afternoon.

Acasuso was replacing Juan Martin Del Potro, who suffered a thigh injury in a four-set loss to Feliciano Lopez in the second singles rubber on Friday. “We didn’t want to risk starting the match and then, after two or three games, have to retire because of the injury,” Del Potro revealed. “It would have been much worse if that happened.”

Verdasco was subbing in for David Ferrer, who got clobbered by David Nalbandian in the tie’s opening rubber. Ferrer could not have been too surprised or upset with the decision—regardless of how it turned out—not only due to his performance against Nalbandian, but also because his entire second half of the season has been one big slump. He started out hot on the clay and even on grass, but what once looked like a sure-thing Masters Cup appearance ended with Ferrer ranked 12th in the world. “When Ferrer found out he was not playing, he took it well,” Spanish captain Emilio Sanchez said. “He immediately offered his support to Fernando which helped him come out on court.”

A back-and-forth affair saw Verdasco silence the crowd, which had been all over him during Saturday’s doubles rubber, with a 6-3 first-set victory. Acasuso, however, took command in the second and although he failed to serve out the set, he recovered to win the tiebreaker in convincing fashion. The Argentine used that momentum to carry him to a 6-4 win in the third, putting the favored Argentines one set away from a decisive fifth rubber.

Nonetheless, Verdasco was not to be denied of his monumental achievement. He broke early in the fourth and despite the incessant pleading of the crowd, Acasuso never could get back on track. A minor abdominal strain hampered his comeback chances, as well. Verdasco, meanwhile, picked his serve up considerably and stormed through both the fourth and fifth sets. He also began to play much smarter, while minimizing his unforced errors.

“I was more relaxed after the fourth set,” explained Verdasco. “I understood we needed tactics to win the match and I realised that he was tired so I took advantage of making him run.”A mentally and physically-exhausted Acasuso saved one match point serving at 1-5, but Verdasco capitalized on his second chance and sent the Spanish to team into jubilation.

“It’s a nice sensation,” Verdasco said after the wild celebration. “It’s a great day for all the people in Spain. This is the most beautiful day of my life. This is the most important match and win of my life. I will always remember this. It’s like winning a Grand Slam.”

Nadal did not travel to Argentina, but watched the tie—and the final rubber—and offered his thoughts. “Fernando was brilliant, absolutely amazing from the fourth set,” he told Spanish television. “Emilio has formed a tremendous group with a fabulous atmosphere at its heart.”

“It was an incredible match; all the guys were so nervous,” added Sanchez, who went on to say that the Spanish team would soon be partying with “a lot of wine.”

For the Argentines, who have still never won a Davis Cup title, the mood was somber. “There was a lot of sadness in the locker room after the loss,” Acasuso admitted, “and the fact that three of the four of us lost to Russia two years ago means that the pain was double.”

Spain, meanwhile, won its third Davis Cup championship. It joins six other nations as three-time winners of the Davis Cup.

As for 2009, Spain and Argentina are again in opposite halves of the bracket and both will host opening-round ties in early March. Spain hosts Novak Djokovic and Serbia, while the Argentines will welcome a Dutch squad. Spain could meet up with Germany in the quarterfinals and Russia in the semis en route to its title defense. Argentina, meanwhile, could get France in the quarterfinals and the United States, 2007 Davis Cup champions, in the semis.

Who needs Rafael Nadal when you have Feliciano Lopez…and Fernando Verdasco?

Going into the 2008 Davis Cup final, the question was how Spain could win without Nadal, but two days later the question is now the one above.

Argentina took an improbable 2-1 lead over host Argentina on Saturday afternoon in Mar del Plata as Lopez and Verdasco defeated David Nalbandian and Agustin Calleri 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(5), 6-3 in three hours and 18 minutes. The victory puts the Spanish squad on the brink of victory heading into Sunday’s reverse singles.

Argentina originally scheduled for Calleri to play with Jose Acasuso, but that was when the host nation was planning on having a 2-0 lead after Friday’s singles matches. When the favorites found themselves tied up after Day 1, they decided to go with Nalbandian.

The move paid dividends in the first set, as Nalbandian and Calleri seized a decisive service break at 5-5 before serving out the opening frame of play. Spain, however, turned the tables in set two, holding at 5-5 and breaking to level the match.

That set up a thrilling third set in which the Spaniards raced to a 4-0 lead that seemingly would have no chance of being overcome. Spurred on by an energized crowd, the Argentines refused to go away and broke back twice for 5-5. Calleri and Nalbandian then stormed to a 4-0 lead in the ensuing tiebreaker before it all collapsed over and around them. Nalbandian missed an easy backhand volley at 5-3 and Spain won the next three points for a two sets to one advantage.

This time, the Argentine duo could not recover. Lopez and Verdasco, who are an experienced doubles duo and play regular on the ATP Tour, really started to show their team unity, while that of Nalbandian and Calleri deteriorated. “They began to help each other less and less,” Lopez explained. “I was physically down in the third set and Fernando helped me. They did not do that, maybe it’s because we know each other better.” The experienced Spanish team used two more service breaks to finish off the match in three hours and 18 minutes.

Aside from what actually took place on the court, the Argentine fans were far more out of control than they were on Friday. “The crowd didn’t behave well today, they were using bad words and insulting us,” said Spanish captain Emilio Sanchez following the doubles rubber. “I’m disappointed in the way they behaved but we know now and we’ll be ready for tomorrow.” Verdasco, who took the brunt of most of the verbal jabs, added “they actually motivated me and allowed me to play better and their strategy totally backfired.”

“This is Davis Cup, this is normal,” retorted Calleri. “Maybe they went too far. I don’t think they were insulting Verdasco but I don’t know.”

Whatever the case, they will be even more obnoxious with their team against the wall on Sunday. It’s do or die for Juan Martin Del Potro when the hero of Argentina’s semifinal Davis Cup win over Russia battles Spain’s David Ferrer to kick off the action on Sunday.

Ferrer leads the head-to-head series with Del Potro, but the 6′6” Argentine won most recently in Tokyo just last month. That, of course, was when Del Potro was healthy and on top of his game. The 20-year-old exploded onto the tennis scene almost out of nowhere, winning every single one of the four tournaments he played in between Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Fatigue and a foot problem hobbled Del Potro throughout the recent indoor swing, however, and a thigh problem crept up to bite him in his four-set loss to Feliciano Lopez on Friday.

Ferrer’s 2008 campaign went south just as Del Potro’s took a turn for the better. The first half featured outstanding tennis from the Spaniard and kept him firmly entrenched in the Top 10. He reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the French Open and won smaller clay-court titles on both clay and grass. Beginning with the U.S. Open Series, however, Ferrer endured a dismal slump. He now finds himself outside the Top 10 at No. 12 in the world, and on Friday he was not competitive in a three-set loss to Nalbandian.

The first few games of this clash will tell the story. If Del Potro is healthy, a dramatic come-from-behind victory for Argentina could be in the cards. If he is hobbled, Ferrer will grind and grind until Del Potro goes down and Spain has the Davis Cup trophy in hand.

Rumors, not surprisingly, are swirling that Jose Acasuso will replace Del Potro against Ferrer. That won’t be good news for Argentina, but it might have to be done…and it could be worse. After, Acasuso leads his head-to-head series against Ferrer 4-3, although six of the seven encounters have come on hard courts. Acasuso’s 2008 season, however, has been mostly uninspiring, especially away from clay. He would be a considerable underdog against Ferrer, but still a better option than an injured Del Potro.

If Ferrer wins the 2008 Davis Cup for Spain with a win over Del Potro, Lopez and Nalbandian probably won’t even take the court. At most it would be a “dead” rubber. If Del Potro keeps the host nation’s hopes alive, however, Lopez and Nalbandian will battle in one of the biggest matches of the entire tennis season.

In that case, the advantage would be squarely back in the Argentine corner. First, Nalbandian has a perfect 2-0 head-to-head record against Lopez. Furthermore, Nalbandian has recently resurrected a year that started off slowly. During this year’s indoor swing, he won a title in Stockholm and finished runner-up in both Basel (to Roger Federer) and Paris (to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga).

At the same time, Lopez is a formidable opponent. An experienced Davis Cup participant, Lopez is one of the few Spaniards in the history of the game who actually prefer fast hard courts over clay. Lopez’s first half of the 2008 was mostly lackluster except for a surprising runner-up finish in Dubai, but he started to turn it all around at Wimbledon and during the hard-court swing. Lopez reached the quarterfinals at the All-England Club, the semifinals in Vienna, the quarterfinals at the Masters Series Madrid, and the semifinals in Basel. He has himself back in the Top 32 in the rankings (at No. 31) and in position for a seed at the Australian Open.

If this rubber is “live,” look for the Argentine crowd to carry Nalbandian to a dramatic Davis Cup-clinching victory.

“The team is logically down but we have to go through that,” said Argentine captain Alberto Mancini. “We have to wait and stay quiet and plan. Maybe the immensity of the event was too much for my players. We still have to fight, there are two more points tomorrow and we know it will be hard.”

David Nalbandian gave Argentina a roaring start at the 2008 Davis Cup final in front of a rowdy home crowd in Mar del Plata on Friday afternoon. Nalbandian crushed David Ferrer 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in one hour and 59 minutes to give the Argentines a 1-0 lead over visiting Spain, which is with Rafael Nadal due to knee tendinitis.

Although Nalbandian failed to break serve in the opening game of the match, he sent a message that life would tough for Ferrer throughout the day by holding two break points. Ferrer saved them both and held serve, but the Spaniard got broken on three other occasions in the opening frame of play. Nalbandian’s second break proved to be vital, because Ferrer broke right back to stay in the set at 2-5. The Argentine returned the favor right back in the form of another break, however, to finish off the set in convincing fashion.

Nalbandian, who struck 18 winners and 11 unforced errors in the first set, remained at a devastating level of tennis throughout the second. He broke Ferrer three more times, striking 16 winners to just eight errors. The No. 11 player in the world did an outstanding job of dictating play from the back of the court and coming forward at opportune times, putting away all five of his net points in the second set with winners.

Ferrer was all but finished after that, as a relentless Nalbandian continued to run Ferrer ragged. A break of serve at 3-2 in the third was all Nalbandian needed to finish things off, which he did with two straight aces while serving at 5-3, 30-0, the last of which came on a second serve.

“I played a very good match. I was very solid from the first point and I was playing at a very high level. It was a great game,” Nalbandian said. “It could not have been better, to win it quickly the way I did. It was a short match so that’s good for the rest of the weekend.”

The crowd of about 11,000 in the stadium was boisterous, but not quite as out of control as it sometime is in Argentine. Things might have been different, however, if the match had been more competitive. “They were fairly calm, but when we need more support we will get it,” Nalbandian explained.

They’ll need it during Saturday’s doubles rubber because, Juan Martin Del Potro, who won Argentina’s decisive fifth rubber against Russia’s Igor Andreev in the semifinals, fell to Feliciano Lopez 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(4), 6-3 in the second singles match.

For the big-serving Spaniard, it was one of his best wins ever–and an improbable one as well. Del Potro, after all, won four straight tournaments this summer in between Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and in general has been in considerably better form than Lopez.

From the start, however, it was clear the underdog had upset on his mind. Both Del Potro and Lopez came out serving well, but the Spaniard soon faltered at 2-2. Too many first serves allowed Del Potro to break at love for a 3-2 lead and he never looked back. The Argentine did not face a single break point in his first five service games as he went on to close out the first set in routine fashion.

Lopez raised his level in the second, showing off a brilliant all-court game while cutting down on his unforced errors to an almost bare minimum. Nonetheless, he could not break through against the Del Potro serve, despite losing just four points on his own serve in six games. A tiebreaker ensured, and that’s when Lopez finally began to impose his will with aggressive play. He raced to a 4-0 lead with impressive serving and volleying and he closed it out seven points to two to level the match at one set apiece.

The third set also required a tiebreaker. Lopez got down a quick mini-break, but Del Potro could not put his forehand in the court and that allowed his opponent to storm back. A huge ace out wide gave Lopez the set seven points to four and a 2-1 advantage.

With momentum in hand, the visitor never looked back and silenced the Argentine faithful. He gave back an early break in the fourth, but used a second break to ultimately put Del Potro away. Del Potro, meanwhile, appeared to be suffering throughout the fourth set with a thing problem. Lopez served out the match easily at 5-3 to even the Davis Cup final going into Saturday doubles.

“The doctor just saw me but he can’t give a diagnosis without more tests so I don’t know what is wrong with me,” Del Potro explained. “I think I’m okay but I am tired. At this time of the year all the players feel the same.”

“When I won the second tiebreak, I had a great injection of hope,” Lopez said. “In the last set, he didn’t look 100 per cent fit but I hope he can recuperate by Sunday.”

Del Potro might have to, because there is a good chance Argentina will be starting a 2-1 deficit in the face following Saturday’s doubles clash.

Argentines Nalbandian and Agustin Calleri will take on the Spanish duo of Lopez and Fernando Verdasco on Saturday afternoon.

Argentina originally scheduled for Calleri to play with Jose Acasuso, but that was when the host nation was planning on having a 2-0 lead after Friday’s singles matches. Now, the doubles rubber is absolutely critical, and therefore Nalbandian, who was in flawless form against Ferrer, is getting the call.

Nalbandian expressed an eager willingness to participate after disposing of Ferrer in less than two hours. “I’ll be ready (for tomorrow),” he assured. “I feel good.”

Spanish captain Emilio Sanchez never had much of a decision to deal with, even though Lopez went more than three hours with Del Potro. “It’s the pairing which has done the best for us, so we will stick to it tomorrow (Saturday),” Sanchez said of Lopez and Verdasco.

Even with Nalbandian, however, the Argentine tandem is far less experienced than that of the Spaniards. Lopez and Verdasco have been a doubles combination for several years, playing in multiple ATP events every season. Furthermore, Lopez had his huge serve working against Del Potro and is riding a wave of momentum after the crucial victory.

Nalbandian and Calleri, on the other hand, will have what should be a boisterous crowd behind them; one that is far more enthusiastic than it was on Friday due to the obvious importance of Saturday’s doubles clash.

Will that be enough to overcome the experienced Lopez-Verdasco team? With the home crowd in tow, there’s always a chance, but the bottom line is things are looking far less bright for Argentina than they were heading into Friday.