The 39th-ranked Querrey, a last-minute substitute for regular James Blake, will play Nadal in the first match Friday at the 21,000-capacity Las Ventas bullfighting arena. Eighth-ranked Andy Roddick will face No. 5 David Ferrer in the day’s other singles match.
“I guess I’ll make some faces at him, but I don’t know how much that will do,” Querrey said, when asked how he would try to psyche out Nadal. “I need to be aggressive and hit big serves and set the tone, do something. He’s arguably the best clay court player ever so it takes a lot to intimidate him.”
Nadal, who is 2-0 against Querrey, said the near four-month break since the close of the clay court season meant that even he was feeling a little rusty on the surface.
“I’m conscious that it’s going to be a difficult match and that I have to play my best, but obviously some nerves will be involved in the first one,” Nadal said. “It’s going to be a very tough game. He could have an advantage with his serve.
“(But) a win would help David relax when he goes for his match.”
Ferrer has won two in a row over Roddick — on hard courts — to improve to 3-2 over the American.
“Andy is a really tough player with a great serve, whether it be at altitude or at sea level,” Ferrer said. “It won’t be easy. The key will be to start well and take advantage of any opportunities. Without a doubt it will be a long match.”
Spaniards Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez will team up in Saturday’s doubles against Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish, who is filling for injured Bob Bryan.
Sunday’s reverse singles will pit Nadal against former U.S. Open champion Roddick and Querrey against Ferrer.
Spain, led by four-time French Open champion Nadal, is the overwhelming favorite to reach its sixth Davis Cup final. The U.S., which has won a record 32 Davis Cup titles, assembled a makeshift squad following the withdrawals of Blake and Bob Bryan.
Mike Bryan will play in the Davis Cup without brother Bob for the first time since the identical twins made their debut in 2003.
“They’re both great players, so obviously they can do a great job,” Lopez said of the U.S. team’s last-minute doubles pairing. “What matters is that when the going gets tough, will they be as well-connected as the brothers were?”
Spain hasn’t lost on clay in more than nine years — a stretch of 15 ties — and Nadal has lost only three of his last 124 matches on the surface. Nadal beat Roddick on clay in Seville to help Spain clinch the 2004 title.
Querrey took a set off Nadal in a fourth-round loss at the U.S. Open earlier this month. Nadal is coming off a career year, including his fist Wimbledon championship and Olympic gold medal. He also took over the No. 1 ranking from Roger Federer.
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