Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Henin says she can be better than before

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) -Former world No.1 Justine Henin says she has matured during her 20-month break from tennis and can be a better player when she makes a return to the sport next week.

Henin, 27, told a news conference Tuesday she "grew up" during her absence from the court and can eclipse the standard she set in winning seven grand slam titles.

The Belgian will play in next week's Brisbane International and the subsequent Sydney International before contesting the Jan. 18-31 Australian Open as a wild card.

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While keeping expectations in check, she said a second Australian Open title was "possible."

"I believe I can be a better player, I believe I can use my experience more than in the past," Henin said. "When you are into (playing tennis at) 200 percent you have no time to realize it. You are too involved all the time and all this time off helped me to realize everything I achieved.

Henin said her absence from tennis has given her personal insight and perspective, adding that she didn't watch a set of tennis in the first 12 months after retirement and now returns to the sport refreshed and self-aware.

"What I can say is I know myself much better and that's the most important thing," she said.

Henin appeared more relaxed at Tuesday's news conference than in the past, when she was often perceived as aloof.

"I'm 27 now I just want to live my second career differently to how I did in the past," she said. "It's been a great experience to go out of the tennis world for 18 months and to come back because I feel I grew up."

Henin, who won the 2004 Australian Open, will use the Brisbane International to find her tournament rhythm. She showed early form, and a stronger serve, when she beat Russia's Nadia Petrova in an exhibition in Cairo earlier this month.

"Of course I will need some time to be 100 percent, to be the level I was when I stopped my career, but I'm ready to live anything here," she said.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Former top-ranked Mauresmo retiresIvanovic backed to be Real deal

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Molik, Tomic given Australian Open wild cards

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -Alicia Molik and two-time junior Grand Slam winner Bernard Tomic were given wild cards into next month's Australian Open on Thursday.

Melbourne teenager Olivia Rogowska was given the other women's wild card by tournament organizers.

Tomic, national under-18 champion Jason Kubler and Davis Cup player Carsten Ball took three of the four remaining men's wild cards for the first Grand Slam of 2010. Tomic added the U.S. Open boys' title to last year's Australian Open junior crown.

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Organizers had previously granted former No. 1 Justine Henin of Belgium a wild-card entry into the women's draw.

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Ronaldo says sorryFederer, SWilliams honored as ITF world champions

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Federer, SWilliams honored as ITF world champions

LONDON (AP) -Roger Federer and Serena Williams were selected Tuesday as the International Tennis Federation's world champions of 2009.

Federer, who receives the ITF award for a fifth time, completed a career Grand Slam by winning the French Open and captured a record 15th major title by winning Wimbledon. He also regained the No. 1 ranking from Rafael Nadal.

"It was an incredible year for me both on and off the court," Federer said. "To win my first Roland Garros title, break the all-time Grand Slam record and regain the No. 1 ranking is amazing. It means a lot to me to finish the year again at the top."

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Williams, who receives the ITF honor for a second time, won the Australian Open and Wimbledon to bring her career total of Grand Slam titles to 11.

Serena and Venus Williams were selected as women's doubles world champions for the first time, making Serena the first player since Martina Hingis in 1999 to receive both singles and doubles honors.

American twins Bob and Mike Bryan are the men's doubles world champions for a record sixth time.

Daniel Berta of Sweden and Kristina Mladenovic of France were named ITF junior world champions, while the wheelchair awards went to Shingo Kunieda of Japan for the third consecutive year and Esther Vergeer of the Netherlands for the 10th straight year.

The winners will receive their awards at the annual ITF world champions dinner on June 1 in Paris, during the French Open.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Ron wants Ballon backWilliamses, Clijsters, Kuznetsova to play in NYC

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Serbia chooses indoor clay to face U.S. in Davis Cup

LONDON (AP) -Serbia has chosen an indoor clay surface in Belgrade for its Davis Cup match against the United States next year.

The venues for six of the eight first-round World Group matches on March 5-7 were announced Monday by the International Tennis Federation.

The Serbia-U.S. match will be played at the 20,000-seat Belgrade Arena.

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Defending champion Spain has been granted an extension until Jan. 11 to choose the venue for its opener against Switzerland, which could pit Rafael Nadal against Roger Federer.

France will play Germany in Toulon, Russia hosts India in Moscow and Sweden faces Argentina in Stockholm - all on indoor hard courts. Chile will host Israel on outdoor clay in Coquimbo.

Croatia will play Ecuador in Varazdin on an indoor surface still to be decided. The venue and surface for Belgium's home match against the Czech Republic will be confirmed by the end of the year.

The ITF said all venues are subject to a site inspection and final confirmation by the international body.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Nadal-led Spain plays Czechs in Davis Cup finalJovanovic considering options

Becker has sympathy for Tiger

BERLIN (AP) -Former tennis great Boris Becker says he sympathizes with Tiger Woods, who is taking an indefinite break from golf after admitting to infidelities.

According to the Bild newspaper, the German said during a taping of the "Beckmann" TV show that will be aired later Monday that he was surprised by the "dimensions and frequency" of Woods' alleged affairs.

As far as the controversy goes, the 42-year-old Becker says he "experienced the same thing, and can sympathize with him."

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Becker has two sons with his former wife, Barbara, and a daughter from a brief relationship with a London-based model. He married Lilly Kerssenberg this year, and they are now expecting a child.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

ITF: Wickmayer still ineligible to play tennisCarlo not thinking of Aguero

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Wickmayer to play in Auckland after ban lifted

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -Yanina Wickmayer has accepted a wild card to play in the ASB Classic women's tennis tournament in January after a Belgian court overturned her one-year ban for breaching anti-doping regulations.

The No. 16-ranked Wickmayer was suspended last month by the Flemish National Doping Organization for failing on three occasions to report her whereabouts in line with World Anti-Doping Agency policies.

A Belgian civil court this week lifted that ban and the International Tennis Federation has said she is now free to return to the women's tour.

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Organizers of the $220,000 Auckland tournament, from Jan. 4-9, immediately offered her a wild card. She will be the tournament's third seed based on current entries.

"It is such good news and the best possible Christmas present that I am able to play," Wickmayer said in a statement.

"I had such a great 2009 on the court and now look forward to starting my 2010 at Auckland."

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Messi out of derby clashITF lifts bans, clears Wickmayer, Malisse

Thursday, December 17, 2009

CAS clears Gasquet of drug charges

GENEVA (AP) -French tennis player Richard Gasquet was cleared of any wrongdoing Thursday when a sports court accepted his claim that he tested positive for cocaine by kissing a woman in a nightclub.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne dismissed appeals by the World Anti-Doping Agency and International Tennis Federation, which wanted Gasquet banned for up to two years.

"I'm absolutely relieved. This is the end of a crazy story," Gasquet said. "I'm happy to be 100 percent cleared."

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The court accepted Gasquet's claim that he inadvertently consumed cocaine by kissing the woman in a Miami club hours after withdrawing injured from a tournament in March.

"It was impossible for the player, even when exercising the utmost caution, to know that in kissing a woman who he had met in a totally unsuspicious environment, he could be contaminated with cocaine," the court said in a statement.

A CAS panel of three lawyers said the quantity of the drug in Gasquet's urine test was "minute" and the 23-year-old Frenchman was "clearly not a regular cocaine user."

"The possibility of contamination became the most plausible explanation," CAS said.

Gasquet's coach, Eric Deblicker, told the Eurosport Web site that the case had been hard on the French player over the last few weeks.

"This is a huge relief, mostly for Richard and for the people close to him," Deblicker said. "The most important thing now is to see him enjoying on the court."

Deblicker also said Gasquet will play at the Brisbane and Sydney tournaments as part of his preparation for the Australian Open.

The verdict was greeted with dismay by WADA and the ITF, the sport's world governing body.

"WADA considered that the evidence warranted full and total scrutiny," director-general David Howman said in a statement. "WADA abides by the CAS ruling and has no further comment at this stage."

ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti said the federation was "disappointed" with the court's ruling.

"The ITF also recognizes the potential implications of the CAS decision with respect to future decisions and will discuss these with WADA," he said.

The 23-year-old Gasquet served a 2 1/2-month suspension before an independent ITF tribunal cleared him to resume his career in July.

It ruled he was not to blame because the woman - identified only as "Pamela" - contaminated him with cocaine hours before the drug test.

CAS said that ban should not count as a doping offense on Gasquet's record, even though he had not appealed against it.

Athletes who commit two doping offenses face a life ban from their sport.

WADA and the ITF appealed to CAS because they believed Gasquet should be held to the strictest standards of the WADA Code, which makes athletes responsible for any substance found in their body.

They tried to deny him the defense of "no significant fault or negligence" for the drug being present.

Gasquet gave evidence at the appeal, which was heard over seven hours at CAS headquarters on Nov. 10.

The CAS panel found he "had not committed any fault or negligence within the meaning of the ITF anti-doping program."

In his defense, Gasquet said he went to the nightclub with friends to see a French DJ perform after pulling out of the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne with a shoulder injury. He met "Pamela" there and kissed her several times.

The court said both parties' experts "agreed that the minute amount of cocaine could have been transferred in this manner."

Gasquet can now prepare for the Australian Open in January. He missed the French Open and Wimbledon while suspended, and in his first main-draw match after returning lost to top-seeded Rafael Nadal in straight sets at the U.S. Open.

He is ranked No. 52 in the year-end ATP standings after being No. 23 when his failed test was announced in April.

Gasquet's ranking peaked at No. 7 in July 2007 after he reached the Wimbledon semifinals, where he lost to Roger Federer. He has earned more than $4.2 million (?2.9 million) in career prize money, according to the ATP.

"My highest ranking was seven in the world and I want to return in the top 10," Gasquet said.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Silva facing month outITF lifts bans, clears Wickmayer, Malisse

ITF lifts bans, clears Wickmayer, Malisse

LONDON (AP) -U.S. Open semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer earned a major off-court victory Wednesday when officials lifted her one-year ban for violating anti-doping rules.

The 20-year-old Belgian was banned in November for breaking World Anti-Doping Agency regulations by failing to report her whereabouts for drug testing three times.

Another Belgian, 2002 Wimbledon semifinalist Xavier Malisse, was banned at the same time and also had his suspension lifted Wednesday.

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"The ITF has removed both Mr. Malisse and Ms. Wickmayer from the list of suspended players, and both are eligible to participate with immediate effect," the International Tennis Federation said in a statement.

Neither player failed a doping test, and Wickmayer claims she was not properly informed of the online reporting requirements for drug-testing that led to her ban.

On Monday, the pair won an injunction in Belgium against the bans, which were imposed by a Belgian court on Nov. 5. Because the injunction suspended the decision of the Belgian national anti-doping agency, the ITF said it was forced to lift the ban.

"As a signatory to the WADA Code, the ITF is required to give wider recognition to decisions within the authority of other signatories," the ITF said.

After Monday's court ruling in Belgium, Wickmayer was offered a wildcard to play at the ASB Classic, a tournament in New Zealand that serves as a warmup for the Australian Open. She is also hoping to get another wildcard for the season's first Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne.

WADA's "whereabouts" rule requires elite athletes to make themselves available for out-of-competition testing for one hour a day, 365 days a year. They must give three months' notice of where they will be so they can be tested.

Many athletes have spoken out against the system since it was imposed at the beginning of the year, saying it violates their right to privacy, and 65 athletes in Belgium started court proceedings against the whereabouts system, citing the European Convention on Human Rights.

WADA director general David Howman has said the rule will be reviewed at the end of the year.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Jovanovic considering optionsITF: Wickmayer still ineligible to play tennis

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

ITF: Wickmayer still ineligible to play tennis

LONDON (AP) -Yanina Wickmayer is still not eligible to compete despite a court injunction in Belgium that suspended her one-year ban for violating anti-doping rules.

Wickmayer, a U.S. Open semifinalist, and Xavier Malisse had their doping bans suspended Monday, but International Tennis Federation spokesman Nick Imison said Tuesday that both players are still banned by the sport's governing body.

Both remain suspended "until such point that we receive any further communication to suggest otherwise," Imison said.

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Wickmayer and Malisse, a Wimbledon semifinalist in 2002, were suspended by a Belgian court Nov. 5 for breaking World Anti-Doping Agency rules by failing to report their whereabouts for drug testing three times. The ITF imposed the bans worldwide.

Imison said the ITF is waiting to hear from the Belgian national anti-doping agency before it can make a formal ruling of their eligibility.

"Basically, it's up to (them) to liaise with the Belgian court and make its decision based on that and inform us," Imison said. "As of last night, we hadn't received any official correspondence at all."

The Belgium anti-doping agency did immediately return a call seeking comment.

After Monday's ruling in Brussels, Wickmayer was offered a wildcard to play at the ASB Classic, a tournament in New Zealand that serves as a warmup for the Australian Open. She is also hoping the ruling will get her another wildcard for the season's first Grand Slam tournament.

The next step would be to be able to use those wildcards and compete.

"At this precise moment, she is ineligible to play," said Imison, adding it was difficult to say when an official decision would be made.

"From our point of view, procedures are clear, and that if a decision is made by a national anti-doping authority, then these are sent though to us and then the ITF needs to make sure proper procedure has been followed," Imison said. "At this stage, all we can say is that we await to receive the kind of relevant documentation and ruling from Belgium."

The 20-year-old Wickmayer claims she was not properly informed of the online reporting requirements for drug-testing that led to her ban.

Wickmayer and Malisse have already asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport to overturn the bans. A ruling is expected in the next three months.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Sanchez-Vicario to pay ?3.5 million in back taxesJovanovic considering options

Friday, December 11, 2009

Sanchez-Vicario to pay ?3.5 million in back taxes

MADRID (AP) -The Spanish Supreme Court has ordered former top-ranked women's player Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario to pay back approximately ?3.5 million ($5.1 million) in unpaid income tax.

The court rejected Sanchez-Vicario's assertion that she was a resident of Andorra and not Spain from 1989 to 1993.

The court said in its ruling Thursday that the three-time French Open champion "never effectively lived in Andorra and never had the intention of doing it in any moment, either."

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The 37-year-old Barcelona native, who also won the U.S. Open in 1994, was appealing the decision from a high court ruling in July 2003.

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Flores hit by swine fluCosta released from hospital after heart problems

Costa released from hospital after heart problems

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -Spain Davis Cup captain and former French Open winner Albert Costa was released from a hospital after heart-related problems on Thursday.

The 34-year-old Costa was admitted to a hospital near Barcelona after complaining of heart palpitations, chest pains and hypertension, the Spanish tennis federation said. He was released hours later and was at home resting.

In his first year as captain, Costa led Spain to its fourth Davis Cup title with a 5-0 sweep of the Czech Republic last Sunday.

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Costa had no such related medical problems in the past, federation spokesman Pedro Hernandez said. Hernandez put the episode down to stress.

Costa, who replaced Emilio Sanchez Vicario after last year's triumph over Argentina, said after the victory that he would soon sit down with the federation to discuss his contract renewal. Costa also currently works as sporting director of the Catalan tennis federation.

Costa was expected to be at the national tennis championships in Seville as tournament director from Friday, but that was now unlikely.

Costa played in Spain's first Davis Cup-winning team in 2000. He won the French Open two years later.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Nadal officially picked for Davis Cup finalCosta earns new contract

Friday, December 4, 2009

Williamses, Clijsters, Kuznetsova to play in NYC

NEW YORK (AP) -Serena and Venus Williams, Kim Clijsters and Svetlana Kuznetsova will play a one-night exhibition for the Billie Jean King Cup at Madison Square Garden in March.

Serena Williams and Clijsters could stage a rematch of their U.S. Open semifinal, which ended with Williams' tirade at a line judge that earned her a record $82,500 fine.

The March 1 event will feature one-set semifinals then a three-set final, all with no ad scoring. Serena Williams beat her sister in last year's final.


Serena Williams won the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year. Kuznetsova won the French and Clijsters won at Flushing Meadows in her third tournament after a 2 1/2-year retirement.

The event offers $1.2 million in prize money.



Serena unlikely to face ban for U.S. Open rantAncelotti delighted with Cole

Former top-ranked Mauresmo retires

ISSY-LES-MOULINEAUX, France (AP) -Two-time Grand Slam champion Amelie Mauresmo retired from tennis Thursday, saying she no longer had a burning desire for competition.

The 30-year-old Frenchwoman, a former top-ranked player who finished the season No. 21, said she doesn't have the will to keep playing at the highest level.

"I don't want to train anymore," Mauresmo said after shedding tears about the decision. "I had to make a decision, which became evident in the last few months and weeks. When you grew older, it's more difficult to stay at the top."

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Mauresmo, who won both of her Grand Slam titles in 2006, at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, said she was happy to leave on a good note after winning her 25th singles title - her first in almost two years - in Paris this season. She also secured seven wins over players from the Top 10 in her final year.

"It's a bit sad, but this is the right decision," Mauresmo said. "I was lucky enough to have an exceptional career and to experience very strong feelings on the court."

Mauresmo, who was the No. 1-ranked player in 2004, played her last match in the second round of this year's U.S. Open, losing to Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada 6-4, 6-0. She then pulled out of her last two tournaments of the year.

"It became very hard in build-up to the U.S. Open," Mauresmo said. "If I were able to enter the court, play and shine, of course I could continue, but to achieve this you need to put in such hard work. And I'm not capable of that."

Mauresmo said she has no regrets and feels very proud when she looks back at a career that started in 1993.

"I dreamt of this career, I dreamt of winning a Grand Slam title," she said. "I lifted trophies in every city in the world and I lived 10 magical and unbelievable years."

Mauresmo, who says she decided to play tennis after watching Yannick Noah win the 1983 French Open, became the first player from France - male or female - to reach the No. 1 spot on Sept. 13, 2004. She held it for five weeks and recaptured it on March 20, 2006, holding it for the majority of that year until falling from the top on Nov. 12. In total, she spent 39 weeks at No. 1.

But she was never able to emulate Noah's feat of winning on the clay at Roland Garros, failing to go beyond the quarterfinals at the Grand Slam tournament in Paris, where she struggled to withstand the pressure in front of her home crowd.

Mauresmo, whose backhand delighted tennis pundits around the world, also won the Fed Cup with France in 2003 and the WTA Tour championship in 2005. She won the Olympic silver medal in Athens in 2004.

She had her best season in 2006, winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon with victories over Justine Henin in the finals.

"Amelie will go down in history as one of the best players of her generation and a terrific ambassador for women's tennis," WTA Tour chairman Stacey Allaster said. "Amelie is an extraordinary player, one of the nicest and friendliest personalities on Tour, and a true champion both in tennis and in life."

Asked about a possible comeback, Mauresmo said her decision was definitive.

"Even if I've learned to never say never," the Frenchwoman said. "The players you are thinking about stopped earlier than me before coming back."

Former No. 1-ranked player Henin confirmed in October she'll make her return to the WTA Tour at the Brisbane International - two weeks before the Australian Open. Kim Clijsters won the U.S. Open in September after coming back from two years in retirement.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Serena unlikely to face ban for U.S. Open rantQueiroz to call on Ron

Nadal-led Spain plays Czechs in Davis Cup final

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -After four straight defeats, Rafael Nadal returns to his favorite clay surface when he plays Tomas Berdych in the opening match of the Davis Cup final on Friday as Spain bids to retain its title against the Czech Republic.

Nadal, a four-time French Open champion, is looking forward to returning to the surface after failing to win a set during three straight defeats at the ATP World Tour Finals in London last week and losing in the semifinals in Paris before that.

Those matches were on fast indoor surfaces, but the second-ranked Spaniard is now back on clay at the Palau Sant Jordi. He is determined to help Spain, playing for its fourth title in its fifth final since 2000, become the first team since Sweden in 1998 to defend its crown.

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"It wasn't a big surprise," Nadal said Thursday of his defeats in London. "When you are not 100 percent at a tournament like that you're going to lose. Here I am 100 percent. I will be playing a little bit better I hope. You can't always play perfect ... but I think I'm ready for tomorrow."

Nadal, who is 10-0 in Davis Cup singles matches on clay, has won four straight over Berdych since an ill-tempered defeat in Madrid three years ago that led to questions over how the 20th-ranked Czech will be received by the 16,000-capacity crowd.

"There's no problem between Rafael and I. I don't think this will play a part in this game," said Berdych, who is not discounting Nadal despite the Spaniard's recent struggles. "He's going to play at home and he's going to play on his favorite surface. I think he's going to be at his best."

Nadal said: "I have an excellent relation with Berdych. He made a mistake, I made a mistake and that's it."

The Davis Cup final caps a year that started with Nadal winning the Australian Open and dominating tennis as the top-ranked player. But the four-time champion was upset in the fourth round by Robin Soderling at the French Open, couldn't defend his Wimbledon title because of injuries, dropped to No. 2 and failed to win another tournament.

"The only important thing is to win the Davis Cup," Nadal said. "I did all that I can in the second half of the season. I play good tournaments. I didn't win but I didn't play really bad tournaments. So the motivation is that, not to start the next season better, no. Now is only to win this tournament."

In the second singles match of the best-of-five series, David Ferrer was picked over Fernando Verdasco to face Radek Stepanek despite being sidelined for more than a month because of a hamstring injury.

Spain captain Albert Costa went with Ferrer, who is 9-3 in singles play, over Verdasco, who was the hero one year ago in Argentina as underdog Spain triumphed in Mar del Plata. Spain is a heavy favorite this time. The hosts have won 17 straight at home and 19 straight on clay.

"I think it's a strategic thing and Fernando has to play another day," Costa said. "I think it's the right player to play tomorrow."

Ferrer and Stepanek have split all six of their previous matchups, including the two on clay, in a closely contested rivalry.

"It doesn't matter who it is - it's going to be a tough match either way," the 12th-ranked Stepanek said. "I was ready for either of them."

Verdasco, who also lost all three of his matches in London last week, has recovered from a foot injury and will team up with Feliciano Lopez for Saturday's doubles, as the Spanish pair are scheduled to take on Lukas Dlouhy and Jan Halek.

Team selections can be changed up to one hour prior to the match and both teams expect Berdych and Stepanek to play in the doubles, unless the Czechs have the comfort of a 2-0 lead. The pair have a 5-0 record in doubles and have clinched all nine live matches this year in wins over France, Argentina and Croatia.

"I think they will change the doubles but we have to respect these two other players who are very good too," Costa said.

Czech captain Jaroslav Navratil offered a veiled response.

"We'll have to see after the first day of singles," said Navratil, who leads the Czechs into their first final since 1980 when Ivan Lendl earned the country - then combined with Slovakia as Czechoslovakia - its only title.

Spain returns to the site of its first Davis Cup title in 2000, a team that included Costa and current reserve Juan Carlos Ferrero. Ferrero and Nadal helped lead Spain to a title in Seville four years later.

Spain leads the head-to-head series 3-2.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Nadal officially picked for Davis Cup finalPuyol could quit Spain