Spain vs. Switzerland at 2010 Davis Cup

Spain has drawn Switzerland as their opponent at the 2010 Davis Cup which means that Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer could sqaure off against each other in the first round.  Of course, this would only happen if they both participated and were not injured.

image: Zuma Press

Federer doesn’t normally play in the event whereas Nadal prefers to represent his country when he can.  Spain won the title last year and beat Israel 4-1 last weekend during the semifinals but they did it without their star player who is currently battling an abdominal injury.

Meanwhile, the United States will face Serbia which means that a match-up between Novak Djokovic and Andy Roddick is very possible.

“It’s certainly a huge match, and certainly Djokovic playing in his home country will be tough,” United States Tennis Association coach and former Davis Cup captain Tom Gullikson said. “But Roddick actually had some very good success against him this year and hopefully that’ll continue into the first round of Davis Cup next year.”

Here are the other first-round pairings:

• Belgium vs. Czech Republic
• Germany vs. France
• Argentina vs. Sweden
• Russia vs. India
• Ecuador vs. Croatia
• Chile vs Israel

The United States will have to travel to Serbia to compete and, while it’s true that it’s less fun to play away from home, the Americans have won a record 32 Davis Cup titless.

The Americans have used Roddick and 24th-ranked James Blake as their two singles players for several years, but 25th-ranked Sam Querrey is now another option for captain Patrick McEnroe.

“He’s a rising young American star and he would certainly be competing for the No. 2 spot,” Gullikson said. “Blake didn’t have the best year this year, up to his standards, but I think we’ll still be a very formidable team.”

I’m really looking forward to the Davis Cup.  Even though Federer often opts out of the event, I think it’s possible that he will want to compete if it means going head-to-head with Nadal.