Spanish Davis Cup Captain Steps Down

Written by: Staff on 16th December 2011

Spanish Davis Cup Captain Steps Down

Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal (3rd R) and his teammates (L-R) captain Albert Costa, Feliciano Lopez, Marcel Granollers, David Ferrer and Fernando Verdasco pose with the Davis Cup trophy after Nadal defeated Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro in their match of the Davis Cup final between Spain and Argentina at the Olympic stadium in Seville, southern Spain, 04 December 2011. Nadal won 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 and 7-6 (0) and achieved the fifth Davis Cup title for Spain. EPA/JULIO MUNOZ |

After guiding Spain to a fifth Davis Cup title of this century and then hearing that the trio of Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer and Feliciano Lopez will not be available for selection in yet another title defense, Albert Costa has formally announced he will be standing down as captain with his long time friend and rival Alex Corretja the likely successor.

Costa intimated he would end his term of captaincy immediately after Spain beat Argentina in Seville nearly two weeks ago but insisted he wanted to contemplate his future on a celebratory vacation.

In a three year term that has realized two Davis Cup titles since succeeding Emilio Sanchez, Costa will now take on the role of Coordinator of all the Real Federacion Espanola de Tenis (RFET) national teams, meaning he will also oversee the Fed Cup, and next year Olympic teams and assess all areas of the Spanish game.

“After three fantastic years in charge of the Davis Cup team I take up this new challenge and responsibility with enthusiasm,” said Costa, one of the few professionals to win the Davis Cup both as a player and as a captain.

And speaking of his new role he added: “I am proud to have the confidence of the RFET in this new stage of my professional links with the organization that runs Spanish tennis.”

Costa will clearly be involved in the process of picking his successor along with Spanish federation president Jose Luis Escanuela who was full of praise for the outgoing captain. “For the RFET it is a great satisfaction that we can continue working with a person with his great sporting experience,” said Escanuela.

“It is great news for Spanish tennis to know that Costa, after three exceptional years in the Davis Cup, is from now coordinating and working on the strategies of our men’s and women’s national teams.”

Corretja, the former world no.2, is a year older than Costa and another Catalan. While Costa won the French Open in 2002, Corretja was twice runner up in 1998 and 2001. He also played a key playing role in securing Spain the nation’s first Davis Cup title in the win over Australia in 2000.

He spent a couple of years coaching Britain’s Andy Murray on an initial part-time basis and his presence was integral to the departure of Miles Maclagan in August 2010. Corretja and Murray decided to part earlier this year over issues of commitment because the Spaniard also had an expanding career in television.

Former world no.1 Carlos Moya, the closest ex-player to his fellow Majorcan Nadal, was seen as the most likely fellow candidate for the captaincy but he used his Twitter account to announce he does not feel ready to take the job.

Topics: Alberto Costa, Feliciano Lopez, Fernando Verdasco, Rafael Nadal