Djokovic and Ferrer Face Off in Opening Singles

Saturday, March 7, 2009 -- Serbian Novak Djokovic and Spaniard David Ferrer will compete in the opening singles of their first round matchup, a match deemed very significant by the Serbians, who aim to snatch the Cup from the defending champion, Spain.

Janko Tipsarevic, Novak’s teammate who will compete against Rafael Nadal, is happy with the match; he said, “With Novak playing first that gives us a lot of strength. It's going to be a very important match.” Tipsarevic will face Nadal in Friday's other singles match.

Spain is defending its title for the third time. The specially constructed outdoor clay court at the Terra Mitica amusement park is an advantage to its star players. A large crowd of 16,000 seats may be accommodated for sports fans, and most of them will surely cheer for the Spaniard team. Spain is noted for going out early as the defending champion, and Spain team captain Albert Acosta hopes that this time, the scenario would be different. He said, “Because we were playing away from home against teams that were complicated; let’s hope it doesn't happen a third time, but we have a great team. But they are a tough opponent."

Strong winds and gusts might make the Friday match even more difficult, as the inclement weather discourages practice for both teams.