Spanish Davis Cup Team Using Medical Device to Aid Their Breathing

Written by: Staff on 3rd December 2011

Spanish Davis Cup Team Using Medical Device to Aid Their Breathing

Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal celebrates after his team-mate David Ferrer defeated Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro at the second match of the Davis Cup final between Spain and Argentina at Seville's olympic stadium in Seville, southern Spain, on 02 December 2011. Ferrer won the match 6-2, 6-7, 3-6, 6-4 and 6-3. EPA/JULIO MUNOZ |

Spain may not need any more help than it already has in a powerhouse Davis Cup final squad headed by Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer, both winners on opening day against Argentina.

But captain Albert Costa is leaving nothing to chance as his nation bids for a fifth title since 2000 in the worldwide team competition.

And to make sure Spanish players are at their ease on the clay, the team and his medical advisors are using a device which allows competitors to literally breath the freshest air available for a period of time.

The pure air bubble apparatus, the Zonair3D, is on hand in the training rooms at Seville for use by Spanish players. It is similar to the hyperbaric divers’ recovery chamber which Novak Djokovic used at times during his run to the US Open crown, with both devices simulating high altitude and compressing muscles at rhythmic intervals.

Nadal, a massive physical specimen anyway, is keen on the new apparatus, but said that it is only one small part of preparation. “You only breathe fresh air in the bubble,” he said.

“We feel comfortable in it. We have used it for a long time. We like it and its use, and it works well for us.”