Pre-tie analysis: USA v Spain

United States and Spain go head-to-head in the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group quarterfinals in Austin on 8-10 July, with a place in the last four at stake.

Road to quarterfinals

Andy Roddick played a key role in the 4-1 victory over Chile in his come-back to the team after missing the 2010 season. The Texan won his two singles rubbers and wrapped up the victory with the help of the reliable Bryan brothers, who took their doubles point.

Spain arrived in Belgium with three Top 10 players. As expected, they managed to get a clear victory over the central Europeans. Fernando Verdasco took the first rubber, Rafael Nadal the second and the doubles couple Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez took the definitive point. The tie ended with a score of 4-1 for Spain.

The leaders

Andy Roddick

The former US Open champion will be playing in his hometown of Austin and, as he has stated, it will be a very important event for him. This extra motivation and his good performances on hard surfaces will make him a dangerous player for the singles rubbers.

Rafael Nadal

The hard court chosen for the occasion isn’t Nadal´s favourite surface, but the six-time Roland Garros champion is a very competitive rival on any surface, as his wins at all four Grand Slams prove. And the world No. 1 hasn’t lost a Davis Cup singles rubber since 2004.

The captains

Jim Courier

The American captain enjoyed a winning debut in March against Chile. As a player, Courier was one the tennis icons of the 1990s. It was in this decade that he won his four Grand Slam titles.

Albert Costa

The Catalan took over the role of Spanish captain in December 2008 and immediately led the team to glory in 2009. As a player, Costa was a clay court specialist and had his biggest achievement in 2002, when he won Roland Garros.

Keep an eye on...

John Isner

This young American player rose to fame after playing the longest tennis match in history in Wimbledon 2010. But that isn’t his only merit. His height (6’ 9”) allows him to perform extremely powerful serves and could be a threat for Nadal, whom he took to the fifth set at Roland Garros.

Fernando Verdasco

Despite having plummeted in the rankings this year from No. 7 to No. 23, the player from Madrid remains a factor to consider. His best results have always arrived on hard courts and he could play a key role in Spain´s success in this tie, in both singles and doubles.

Davis Cup pedigree

USA

USA are the most successful Davis Cup team of all time, having lifted the trophy on 32 occasions. However, only one of these titles has come in the last ten years (2007).

Spain

Spain are the opposite case. The Iberians clinched their first Davis Cup win in 2000 and have gone on to triumph four times. This makes them the most successful Davis Cup team of the new millennium.

Head to head

5 - 4

USA and Spain have met on nine different occasions in Davis Cup, resulting in five victories for the Americans and two for the Spaniards. For the most part, these clashes have taken place in recent years and the statistics are very revealing. Spain have never won on American soil.

The surface

Hard

The American players are all hard court specialists and, as such, have picked a quick surface for this tie. The Spaniards are traditionally more comfortable on clay, although they do have a versatile squad of players. In this case, the surface could potentially tip the scale towards the American side.

Home and away

Home and away

USA

The Americans traditionally perform extremely well on home soil. Team USA has won 92.5% of the ties played on its territory. Moreover, Spain has never beaten them at home.

Spain

The Spaniards have only lost one of the last five ties played on away soil. The defeat came in the 2010 quarterfinals when France demolished them 5-0 in Clermont Ferrand.