Kirsty Mckenzie
MARBELLA has welcomed Spain’s Davis Cup team for the qualifying clash against Romania at Puente Romano Club de Tennis.
The clay courts are playing host to the highly fancied team featuring Roberto Bautista, the world No.18 and world No 21 Pablo Carreno Busta this Saturday (March 5).
Sergi Brugera’s team are looking to triumph against Romania on clay in their first taste of Davis Cup Qualifiers action.
As hosts in 2019 and defending champions in 2021, Spain has not yet competed in this round of the competition, while Romania earned their spot after defeating Peru 4-0 in the World Group knock-outs last November following a 3-1 victory over Portugal in the World Group 1 Play Offs.
Star man Rafael Nadal will miss the match but all eyes are on 18-year-old world No 31 Carlos Alcaraz, who was unable to fulfill his potential in last year’s Finals after testing positive for Covid-19 the night before the match.
Marbella’s Puente Romano Club de Tennis has been a great venue for this team in the past with notable victories against Mexico, Germany and Great Britain. This is the fourth time the southern Spanish town has hosted a David Cup tie.
The president of the Junta de Andalucia Juanma Moreno said that events like the Davis Cup have ‘an enormous capacity for promoting Andalucia because it brings many fans and a lot of media to the area.’
He added: “Andalucia is an incredible region for sports and what we want is to continue adding events like this.
Moreno said he was ‘very proud’ to pay homage to Spanish tennis legend Manolo Santana, who died last year at the age of 83.
Santana, a long-time resident of the Costa del Sol, was a former director of Puente Romano Club.
“He is a person we admire,” said Moreno. “Despite being a Madrilenian, he felt Andalucian.”
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