Rafael Nadal is just about ready to return to the ATP Tour.
Which could mean fabulous news for the Davis Cup tie between Canada and Spain.
On Tuesday, Nadal tweeted that he’ll play an exhibition tournament at the end of December in Abu Dhabi, but it’s not known whether he’ll be willing or able to take part in the 2013 season’s first major, the Australian Open, in mid-January.
The Davis Cup, at UBC’s Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre Feb. 1-3, will feature top Canadian stars Milos Raonic and Daniel Nestor, as well as rising Vancouverite Vasek Pospisil.
Spain, in the absence of Nadal – who’s missed six months due to a knee injury — is expected to counter with world No. 5 David Ferrer, No. 11 Nicolas Almagro and No. 24 Fernando Verdasco. Nadal is still ranked fourth in the world.
Spain’s top-ranked doubles players are Marc Lopez and David Marrero. Lopez is sixth in the world, one spot below Nestor.
The weekend is sold out; more tickets may be available in January. The first-round tie for the World Group features the top-ranked Spaniards and the 12th-ranked Canadians. The weekend’s winner would face either Croatia or Italy in the tournament quarterfinal.
