In the wake of the Spain Davis Cup team getting relegated from the World Group of the international tennis competition, some timely news has been made public: the appointment of Gala Leon Garcia, the first female captain of Spain’s history and former Top 30 player in her time as a professional.
Spain were without the likes of Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer for their rubbers – all losses – to Germany and Brazil in this season’s Davis Cup, and as we all know it’s been well documented about Carlos Moya’s close but professional relationship with both Nadal and Ferrer, so how will Gala Leon Garcia bring the best players to the Davis Cup party next year, now they aren’t in the World Group for the first time in eighteen years?
Gala Leon Garcia is going to have to find the missing ingredient which took Spain to three Davis Cup wins in the last six years, including the last in 2011 with a win over Argentina in Sevilla. The potential for Spain to do a comprehensive and professional job at the Davis Cup is there for all to see; you have the likes of Roberto Bautista Agut having a breakthrough year, posting results on clay and now hard courts to push himself inside the Top 20; Feliciano Lopez, who thrives with his serve variation that flourishes on a fast paced court, so in terms of versatility they have all the pieces to fit in the Davis Cup jigsaw. What they truly need is someone of Grand Slam quality like Rafael Nadal or David Ferrer to implement the Davis Cup into their calendar. With Spain not being in the higher echelons of the competition it’s very likely they won’t get Rafa or Ferrer to take their time to do the hard graft before even having a chance of winning it yet again.
Another factor is Rafa’s health; in question again with the wrist injury which adds to the debate over his knee problem, meaning that the Davis Cup could be considered as an unnecessary nuisance, especially when you consider he wasn’t persuaded to take part with Moya on board, it’s virtually impossible to see him present now a not so ‘close friend’ is the new captain.
Further branches of Spain’s depth includes the rising star of Pablo Carreno Busta, who’s propelled on the Challenger circuit, with three title wins this year and another final result that’s accumulated over the last 24 months, who could well be one to look out for for the future. Many have already tipped him for big things, particularly on the clay circuit, and considering Spain have the luxury of deciding what court they play their rubbers on they could very well build their team around Carreno-Busta when the likes of Nadal, Ferrer and even Almagro decide to officially call time on the Davis Cup and eventually their careers. It’s obvious how crucial Nadal and Ferrer are to Spain; together their Davis Cup record has been 47 wins to nine losses since 2004.
Can Spain turn it around and get another Davis Cup title under the guidance of Gala Leon Garcia? Maybe, but they’ll need their big stars to be present and those who follow in Bautista Agut, Verdasco and Almagro to contribute to the team when given the opportunity.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me @JakeDavi5. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and @LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest in sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Have you tuned into Sports Events Guide Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
Main Photo:
