New TV Interview with David

David appeared on the TyC Sports show "Gol de Medianoche" on Tuesday, July 28th (thanks, Tamar). And this time, there's a video clip of David on the show (thanks, tennisace).

The problem is that there's a constant beeping noise on the audio track of that clip, which makes it really difficult to understand anything. I had a look at the original clip on the TyC Sports website but the audio on that one isn't any better. At least, there are two articles about the interview, both containing quotes (one from TyC Sports, the other from La Voz), shedding some light on what David was saying. Once more, he mostly spoke about the Davis Cup.
Here's my attempt at combining both articles and their quotes:

David Nalbandian said that for those players whose priority is their obligations on the international circuit "it is better not to play Davis Cup".
"For most players it's more about hard work than something they enjoy," said Nalbandian, while noting that the Davis Cup is not only demanding because of its schedule. "It's damaging, the constant change of surface and those moments moments of the year when it [Davis Cup] takes place."

Regarding the failure of Argentina in terms of [having a fixed] doubles, Nalbandian said that "it's possible to win, not having a strong and fixed doubles". However, he recalled some situations that happened to him and admitted that "for those who have to play on all three days of the tie it's very tough".

About what it means for him to play Davis Cup he remarked that "if you represent the country, everything is different. From being a young boy on, you play for yourself, to make a name for yourself, and you play for your coaches and team. But playing Davis Cup, you're committed to defending the flag."

The Davis Cup final loss to Spain is still present in Nalbandian's memory and it seems impossible to forget about it. "The wound will never close. It hurts even more than the final in Russia [2006]. It's difficult to assimilate and to look ahead, but those are the results and there are no others," he concluded.

About his physical state and the recent operation on his hip, Nalbandian said with some trepidation that "nobody can assure you of anything, because it is a new and delicate injury."
"I know that when I return, I will step on the court being afraid until I can get all of that out of my head."

As for what he said in the interview apart from the quotes above (which are in the clip), I hope that Tamar will make another transcript... :)

David on Screen - Part I

There are different ways of passing the time while David isn't playing.
Looking at pictures. Reading interviews. Watching YouTube clips. Reading articles...
- And watching videos of his matches.

This is the first one in what will be a series of posts with download links for David's matches. For videos that can be downloaded from the internet, for free and without having to register at some site or using torrents. All you need is a fast internet connection, WinRar (or a similar program) for unpacking/reassembling the files and the links I'll provide here.
The videos are usually split into several files and stored on Megaupload. You can either download them manually, one by one. Or you can use a program like JDownloader, which does the downloading for you, once you've copy/pasted the download links into it.
The videos are usually .avi files (sometimes also .wmv) and of varying, though mostly good quality. Another thing that varies is the language of the commentary. A lot of the time it'll be in English. But sometimes, it's also in Spanish or French. Or in Swedish (in case of the Stockholm final).
Providing these links, I'm getting help from Krystle, who has been kind enough to upload various matches to be linked here. Thank you!
To get us started, here are three fairly recent ones, all courtesy of Krystle...

Stockholm 2008, Final vs Robin Söderling (includes trophy ceremony)
Part 1: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1WNMW09Z
Part 2: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RRNH9B5D
Match Report

Masters Madrid 2008, Round 2 vs Tomas Berdych
Part 1: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5Y1W396E
Part 2: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PX1UUN1M
Part 3: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=O9ANZ0Q8
Match Report

Sydney 2009, Final vs Jarkko Nieminen (includes trophy ceremony)
Part 1: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CL9V0JM5
Part 2: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=MAHZ66HR
Part 3: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=S3UOKI80
Part 4: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SK4XVDZB
Match Report

Enjoy.
More links/matches to come...

More Articles, more Photos...

(Photos: Fernando Corbani for La Nacion; click to enlarge)

While David was in Buenos Aires to meet Dr. Ruiz-Cotorro, he was not only interviewed for Clarin, but also for La Nacion. By now, they have published two interviews/articles about David, accompanied by these photos.



The first article (by Ariel Ruya) is called "It doesn't matter if we get along, as long as we win" and not surprisingly perhaps, in it David talks about the Davis Cup. Amongst other things...

The Vilas Racquet Club is a small oasis in the middle of the turmoil of the big city. Sun, tennis, freedom. It is also the ideal refuge to have some privacy for a chat. There waits, smiling, sitting under the open sky, with his hair cut short, David Nalbandian, 27, the most talented Argentine tennis player of the last ten years. Sparkling water, a salad with vegetables and an espresso with milk are savoured during nearly one hour of relaxed words, caustic phrases, scathing verbs. Life goes on in the voice of the man who, while recovering from an uncomfortable hip operation (which took place on May 13), uncovers his strength of spirit to La Nacion. "I don't regret anything," he retorts more than once. About his career, about his life and his relationship with the Davis Cup team.

"I don't get along well or badly with anybody," he claims, later on. The artist of the tennis courts, the controversial figure, visiting Buenos Aires for medical reasons [meeting Ruiz-Cotorro], rises to speak while waiting to recover his tennis genius. "Before having surgery, I knew that it could go wrong, but I never hesitated: I will return. I was in a situation where I couldn't go on, the operation was the only way. But I don't think negatively, I have great faith. Those were two years with a lot of pain, with tremendous limitations for playing. I won important tournaments on one leg, as they say. I could not walk and I had trouble, driving," says El Rey [King] David, a suitable nickname in his opinion. "I will fight to be among the top five again. My idea, if I'm well, is to play until age 30. Tennis players retire more often because of the mental stress than for physical reasons. Look at the cases of Gaby [Sabatini] and Coria. It's not going to happen to me," he retorts. And invites us to have a closer look at the tracks on this path.

Q: Are you aware of what people say about you?

David: I have strengths and weaknesses, I know that. They ask me about the things I enjoy most, that are good for me. They don't know that I only do those things when I have time off and that it's enough for me. And if I do, it's because I think it's okay. It annoys me if they tell me what to do, this my way of life.

Q: It's because many think that you could've been better than you have been, that you could've reached higher.

David: I could've done this, I could've done that, the glass is always half empty. There's only one No.1 in the world and one No.2. No Argentine player was No.1, so why do they point at me? In our country, nobody has achieved that. Out of nine years as a professional player, seven years inside the Top Ten. Tennis is very complicated, it's not just hotels and beaches. I bet that if you leave your family for two months you'll end up being depressed. Crying.

Q: Maybe, David, many thought that you could have been a No.1.

David: Look, our life is a travel bag. So I need to ride horses, swim with sharks, do bungee jumping. If I don't, the circuit wears me out. And I don't regret it. It didn't do me any bad, all those years I've been at the highest level.

The words fly as freely as the open sky. They are not meant to cause controversy, they are spoken with the kind of relaxation that comes from security. The coffee is finished, Nalbandian relaxes. He agrees to play this game [of words] without annoyance, but with determination. "We want you to come back, David, we miss you," a pretty lady says. The man from Cordoba smiles. Ready to face a question anybody would feel uncomfortable about. "My weight? Look, if I didn't care about my body, I wouldn't have been among the best for so long," says the man, who suffered the loss of the Davis Cup tie in the Czech Republic from a distance. That's where his thoughts travel now: towards glory misunderstood. Towards certain dangerous relationships. "I'm sure we will win the Davis Cup," he marks his territory.

Q: But it never came as close as it did against Spain.

David: Last year we missed out on an excellent opportunity. I get distressed whenever I think about it. But there are no secrets to winning it.

Q: But you still think we can really win it?

David: Yes, sure. We used to have a hard time winning, being the away team, and in recent years we've changed that. Two finals, one semifinal, and don't forget that before that, we used to struggle in the American Group. What happens is that Argentineans are very much focused on success. We are what we are.

Q: Does it bother you, the way they talk about the way you get along with the team?

David: I have differences with everybody, it's normal. We all have our differences with others, you, me, him. And often I haven them with people who are close to me. When it comes to representing the country, there are no differences about anything. It doesn't matter if [the atmosphere on] the team is good or bad, what's important is that Argentina wins.

Q: But the rumours about how you get along with your teammates?

David: I know how things are. It doesn't matter if we get along, as long as we win. Apart from that, I was a part of what have been the best Davis Cup years. I cried and suffered a lot to win it.

Q: Are you going to be there for the next [Davis Cup] call at the end of February?

David: I hope so. Because of my injury, the first half of 2010 shouldn't be too strenuous for me. If they call me, I'll be there because they need me.

Q: If you could choose a tournament, which one would you prefer? A Grand Slam or Davis Cup?

David: I prefer the Davis Cup. The pressure, the court. It's special. It's my priority.

Time flies. David must also fly, in a few hours he will be back in Unquillo, his place in the world. "I'm a Davis Cup player," he warns. And bids farewell, offering his hand with a smile. Relaxed, controversial, happy. The way he is.

The second article focuses on David's current life, back home in Unquillo. It's called "The Privacy of the Days at his Village"...

He should find a publisher, a good writer and set to work. The book should be called "How to enjoy life." David Nalbandian would, of course, be the author of the idea behind it. Not being able to show his class on court, not being able to practice his serve, he still lives his life to the full.

There are days, these days, that are extremely demanding: double-shifts of intensive training to get the unruly body back on track after hip surgery. But whenever it's possible, each time he finds his space, in Unquillo, his home, his country, he discovers that magical pleasure of living. Family, friends, barbecues. "I just miss football. I can't play!" he exclaims.

He has a schedule of events. Monday night, he's there with his friends, applauding and shouting from the sideline at their tricks and games on the football pitch. Later, they all eat together. Thursday, at noon this time but again with his friends, barbecue at his place; hours later, it's playing cards.

Sometimes, their coffee chats include a couple of rounds at the PlayStation. "It's always football, never tennis. I play with [FC] Barcelona, because if I choose River [Plate] I have to do a lot of changes. We haven't done very well, lately," is his analysis from the perspective of a fan.

His 13 years spent among tennis players make him deserve this rest. "A typical village life. Even with the inevitable siesta," he suggests. Even more so today, as he savours long hours at his home with his family, watching the vortex of the ATP Tour on TV, in this time of recovery. Time also to remember. Looking back on how he left school in the third year of secundaria [9th grade of middle school/junior high], driven by an excessive passion for sports. Football, basketball, volleyball, karate, horseback riding, motocross and a certain other game, which escapes the author at this moment. Times of pure adrenaline. "They asked me at home, what are you going to do? Make up your mind! And I chose tennis. I don't think I made a mistake?" He erupts in laughter, nostalgic about those years when he was still a young boy. When he dreamed of making a living by playing tennis.

Q: And if you could go back, would you change anything about your life?

David: No, no. I don't regret anything. Just look what a great sacrifice it was, all that I gave up for that profession. But I'd choose to be a tennis player again.

He no longer has trouble walking, but from time to time an acute pain still affects him. He believes that in November, at best, he will be practicing his forehand and backhand again. And then, he'll pack up his bags and racquets. To take planes, relax at luxury hotels, miss his home and those things that only the best tennis players experience. "Back to the arena," he says. And that's where he'll go.

New Interview and Photo

(Nestor Garcia for clarin.com; click to enlarge)

It's been a while since we've had a new photo of David... So here's what he looks like now. What he looked like, to be precise, when he sat down with Marcelo Maller from Clarin at the Vilas Club to have lunch (chicken and vegetables plus some sparkling mineral water, as the article specifies) and talk. Here's the interview:

Q: Getting approval from your doctor Cotorro for the way your recovery is going, was that a boost for your state of mind?

David: Actually, we thought that everything would go well. Angel [Ruiz-Cotorro] came to me and said he thought I'm doing better than expected, [having regained] significant muscle mass. We are on track, but that doesn't mean that I will return soon.

Q: And how do you feel?

David: I'm far from being able to play again because there's still some discomfort. But in daily life, if I don't do anything strange like skating, I'm perfectly fine.

Q: As time passes, do you make any plans? Do you see yourself returning to the tennis court?

David: No, I'm still far from being able to return to the tennis court, and that should keep you from asking more of questions like that. I cannot even say when I'll start training because I'll have to do it little by little, 20 minutes one day, then half an hour on the next. But I know that the goals are still the same I've had before. I think that I'll enjoy coming back and I that will be ready to compete at the highest level.

Q: You have followed Hewitt's matches, who had the same surgery and plays at a good level.

David: There are several players. And each is different, everyone has different things to deal with. It makes you happy to see him return and play well because he had surgery that was similar to mine. But when I come back I don't know if I'm going to be like him, better, or worse.

Q: Do you train more now than before?

David: Now, I'm doing a different kind of training. I swim a lot, I cycle and that's a good basis for what is coming.

Q: Is there a date for your return?

David: No, no, there's no date for my return, yet. I will start to play tennis in a month, little by little, without haste and without hurry.

Q: Are you now more the son, the friend, or you are not doing anything?

David: You wouldn't believe all the things I do. Three or four times a week I do double shifts at my swimming pool, gym and rehabilitation, so I spend "a lot of time" training. I had time during the first month, now I'm doing a lot more work. Obviously, I'm free during the weekends and I'm here with my family and friends. I will enjoy and make the most of those things I can't do when I'm on the Tour. There are six months still ahead and we have to take it easy.

Q: If you were an ordinary tennis fan, what would you think about David Nalbandian?

David: The same things I always say. That he's a guy who is dedicated to his job and in his free time does things he likes.

Then, after a few minutes of posing for a picture, a classic question from David:
- Aren't you?

Ruiz-Cotorro: "David is making very good progress"

As David mentioned in his latest interviews, his physician Dr. Angel Ruiz-Cotorro is visiting him this week. This article on clarin.com (thanks, tennisace) gives his assessment of David's recovery...

"Nalbandian is making very good progress," said Spanish doctor Angel Ruiz-Cotorro, who has come to Argentina this week in order to examine the tennis player from Unquillo, currently recovering from back surgery [obviously a mistake by clarin.com].

Eight weeks after the surgical intervention, Dr. Ruiz-Cotorro has travelled to Argentina to see how things are going with Nalbandian's rehabilitation. "His muscular recovery is at 90 percent," he said. Good news for Nalbandian.

David's doctor, who's also in charge of Rafael Nadal and works for the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation, arrived in Argentina today to examine his patient and said, "I'm very content with the progress he's making and we are all very happy." The meeting took place in Buenos Aires, where Ruiz-Cotorro was present at a training session.

"The recovery after the operation is exceeding our expectations. He has regained tonicity of his muscles and his mobility is very good." Ruiz-Cotorro not only praised Nalbandian's effort in the past eight weeks but also congratulated Diego Rodriguez, who's responsible for monitoring the recovery protocol.

According to Ruiz-Cotorro, even though Nalbandian has already recovered 90 percent of his muscular strength, he won't be able to play professional tennis until in 4 to 5 months. "For me, David is a very good patient because he's following the protocol of recovery exercises and basically because he's a brave guy, who wasn't frightened of having surgery."

Meanwhile, Argentine news agency Telam has another brief interview with David...

Nalbandian: I want to come back and win the Davis Cup.

David Nalbandian said yesterday that he hopes to be a part of Argentina's Davis Cup team again and win the competition.

"It was strange, I'm used to being there and be a part of the team. It's strange to watch it from the outside. I'm eager to return and be on the team again, in order to play again and win the Davis Cup."

Asked about his relationship with Juan Martin Del Potro, he insisted that "everything is fine, I don't know why they keep bringing it up."

"Every player is different. Some play a final on Sunday and play Davis Cup, others don't. That depends on the player. It's the captain's job to judge each player's form."

"I turned down a lot of other things for the Davis Cup, I turned down ATP tournaments, money. And I don't regret it, every tennis player has his goals and priorities."

About his recovery from hip surgery, Nalbandian said that "everything is going very well, the recovery is progressing according to the phases we talked about already before the operation. I still have to do some tests tomorrow, but everything is going smoothly."

"I don't feel anxiety because I'm still a long way away from getting back on the tennis court. Maybe when you start training again but not yet playing. Within a month of starting by doing little things, I'm now swimming, doing gymnastics and cycling."

"It's still going to be four to six months until I can compete again, depending on how well I'll be by then. I'd have to be able to train for a full month without feeling discomfort and then start playing a couple of matches."

"I'm not obsessed. I'm ambitious about achieving my goals but I try to enjoy it and have a good time because the circuit is very demanding. I try to find a balance between tennis and my life. That's what has made me able to be among the best for many years."

Davis Cup Update: Czechs win 3-2

After Delpo won the first of the reversed singles rubbers today, beating Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 and levelling the overall score at 2-2, the Czech team relied on Radek Stepanek to win the decisive match and take them to the semis. And that's exactly what he did: Stepanek defeated "Pico" Monaco 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-2. So the Czech team will now play Croatia in the semifinal. And Argentina are out of this year's Davis Cup.

Well, see you again in 2010. Hopefully with a healthy David back on the team.


Update
During an interview with La Nacion after last weekend's tie, Tito Vázquez was asked about what it will take for Argentina to eventually win the Davis Cup...

Q: How to find a way of making that dream of winning the Davis Cup come true?

Vázquez: Having Juan Martin, who's twenty years of age and leading the way and with several other players who are there to help, I believe that Argentina can win the Davis Cup. We have to wait.

Q: Is it logical to think that with the team we have and Nalbandian, Argentina will have a strong team?

Vázquez: Without a doubt. David has already shown that he's a first-class Davis Cup player. This series, played on the kind of fast surface he likes, would have been different, had he been there, for sure. I want him to recover the best way and that we'll be able to add him to the Argentine team as we expect to do.

Davis Cup Update: Czechs lead 2-1 after Day 2

On Day 2 of the quarterfinal tie at Ostrava, the Czech team has won the doubles to take a 2-1 lead as Radek Stepanek and Tomas Berdych defeated "Chucho" Acasuso and Leonardo Mayer 6-1, 6-3, 6-4. The Argentine doubles went up a break at the start of the third set. But after a controversial linecall they lost their focus and the atmosphere on court grew somewhat heated.

While Berdych played alongside Stepanek despite having contested a five-set match against "Pico" Monaco yesterday, Tito Vázquez apparently chose to spare Delpo for the first of tomorrow's singles matches. There, he'll take on Berdych. Should Delpo level the score at 2-2, it is to be expected that Stepanek will play the final match against Monaco.

Davis Cup Update: 1-1 after Day 1

After the first two singles rubbers at Ostrava, Argentina's quarterfinal tie against the Czech Republic is tied at 1-1.
In the first match of the day, Juan Monaco managed to take the Czech #1 Tomas Berdych the distance, leading 2-1 sets at one point. But Berdych eventually prevailed 6-4, 2-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 after three and a half hours.
Whereas Delpo spent less than half that time on court as he dismissed Ivo Minar 6-1, 6-3, 6-3.

Tomorrow's doubles will supposedly see Delpo and Leornardo Mayer take on Lukas Dlouhy and Radek Stepanek. Changes to the line-up can still be made by the team captains.



Update
Here's another mini-interview with David:

"We're still careful with the hip. I still can't run and I can't do certain exercises. But I will soon be able to."

Nalbandian confirmed that next week it'll be possible for him to say with much more certainty when he'll be able to train again on a tennis court.

"Maybe I'll be able to start training again before the end of the year and then next year start playing tournaments again."

"I think it'll all go very well and that I'll return next year with full batteries to play at a good level."

(Cadena3.com)

The article also contains an audio clip of the complete interview. In it, a happy and rather talkative David speaks about being able to walk normally now, basically able to lead a normal life. Though he's not at a level yet that would permit him to take up more serious training again. Right now, there's no real plan as to when the next stage of the rehabilitation will begin. But to determine that is the purpose of Dr. Ruiz-Cotorro's visit next week. David also says that he has never felt depressed about being sidelined, even though it's of course tough for him, not being able to play and there are moments when it feels bad.
The interview obviously took place today after the two singles rubbers. And of course, David has watched all of it on TV. About Pico's match he says that he played a great match, a very even match that could've gone either way. Delpo he calls a "great comrade" and very talented. One who'll be very important for Argentine tennis in the years to come.
Apart from that, he explains the details of his surgery, says he's still very much into rally racing but not into marrying.
- That's as much as I can remember right now. But maybe the most important things is how happy and positive he sounds in that interview. :)

David: "Impossible to return before End of this Year"

While the Argentine team is getting ready to contest their quarterfinal tie at Ostrava, David spoke to the radio station Del Plata about what it feels like, having to watch Davis Cup on TV, about the current state of his rehabilitation and when he'll return to play.

"It makes me very angry, having to watch Davis Cup from outside."

"It is difficult for me to watch the Davis Cup from the outside. It's not what I like but I'm in a situation that makes me miss important things. It's the first time I'm being sidelined for a longer period of time and I have to accept it."

Nalbandian said he's "doing well" and that his recovery is expected to continue developing according to plan.

"I prefer to be conservative. My doctor Angel Ruiz-Cotorro will arrive here next week from Spain to assess my recovery."

Nalbandian admitted that the rapid recovery of Lleyton Hewitt, who also underwent hip surgery, "encouraged" him to think positively. But he also stressed that "it is impossible that I'll return to the circuit before the end of the year."

"A month ago I got rid of the crutches. But I cannot run yet, or execute any forced or unnatural movements. Which makes it impossible to play again on the Tour before the end of the year."

(Telam, quoted on several Argentine newspaper sites)


- This is new. David explicitly saying he won't be back until next season is new. Until now, he didn't rule out playing, or at least trying to play, a possible Davis Cup semi or final. Looks like in the meantime, he has had to accept that it's not going to happen.
Well, so the next season it is.
We'll wait for him.

Davis Cup Quarterfinal - Preview

Talking about his rehabilitation, David mentioned that he gets to decide whether he does his exercises in the morning, or in the afternoon. I guess it's safe to say that during the coming weekend, his exercises will have to wait until the afternoon. Or later than that, if need be. For where else but in front of the TV will David be when Argentina's Davis Cup quarterfinal tie against the Czech Republic in Ostrava starts at 10am Cordoba time (3pm local, CEST) on Friday.
For the first time since he joined the Argentine Davis Cup team, David will miss the second tie in a row. And while being left with no other choice than to follow Wimbledon on TV probably wasn't exactly fun for David, one can only speculate what having to watch another Davis Cup tie on TV will be like for him.

Here are the players Tito Vázquez has nominated for the upcoming tie:
Juan Martin Del Potro
Juan Monaco
José Acasuso
Leornardo Mayer

Delpo and "Pico" Monaco are hardly a surprise and given his good performances recently, neither is Leonardo Mayer. But about "Chucho" Acasuso there were several articles in the wake of last year's final, saying that he ruled out ever playing Davis Cup again. So either those articles were wrong or he changed his mind in the meantime.
Now, Argentina may have a new team captain but one tradition remains - the old preference for nominating singles players, four of them in this case, and no real doubles team. Though Delpo and Monaco have played doubles together before (at the WTC in Düsseldorf this year), as have Monaco and Acasuso on a couple of occasions in the past. However, currently there are rumours that Acasuso and Mayer may play the doubles.

Right now, the only thing that's clear is that Delpo will be the #1 singles player. Vázquez hasn't officially decided yet who will play the other singles rubber on Friday but he has told members of the Argentine press that Monaco is likely to be his choice for the task. Meanwhile, the Czech team is in a similar situation. While Tomas Berdych is set to be the Czech #1, it's still not clear whether Radek Stepanek will be able to contest the other singles match, due to a niggling injury. Even though a couple of Argentine news sites report that Stepanek was seen training normally (the Czech team is completed by Ivo Minar and Lukas Dlouhy).

With David absent, Delpo now finds himself being declared the undisputed leader of the Argentine team. - A role he's apparently more than reluctant to accept, as the follwing excerpt from an interview with clarin.com shows.

Q: What changes with you being the leader now and not Nalbandian?

Delpo: I don't know. The differences in the ranking don't tell you much, we're all on the same level, us and the Czechs. These days, anyone can beat anyone. And I don't think with me it's any different. I'm here, I'm one of the players, with the same preparation as any other player.

Q: You're the world's No.5. Don't you think you have more responsibility [than the others]?

Delpo: No, no, I think we all have the same responsibility, we're all going to work together as a team. Well, maybe it will be up to me to play two or three of the five points and yes, I will be responsible for walking onto the court, trying to win. But all players have that responsibility. I'm young and don't have much experience in Davis Cup and I don't know if I can be the leader of a team. I too am still learning and, as I just said, that's why it's a team, with the same conditions for all of us and there's no difference in any kind of situation.
(...)

Q: How is your relationship with Nalbandian?

Delpo: Good.

Q: There was talk of trouble...

Delpo: No, we're fine. We're playing Davis Cup again and everything is fine.

In this quote from cadena3.com, Delpo talks about changes within the team:

This is the first time that I'm part of the team under the direction of Vázquez and the truth is that having experienced other ties last year, there is a change in the atmosphere, the environment. Being the visiting team and having trained for a couple of days in Paris [before travelling to Ostrava] has really united us.

As mentioned above, the tie starts on Friday at 3pm/15.00 CEST.
The doubles on Saturday will begin at 2pm/14.00 CEST.
On Sunday, play will continue at 1pm/13.00 CEST.


Update
Here's the order of play for the weekend:

Friday
Tomas Berdych vs Juan Monaco
Ivo Minar vs Juan Martin Del Potro

Saturday
Dlouhy/Stepanek vs Del Potro/Mayer

Sunday
Tomas Berdych vs Juan Martin Del Potro
Ivo Minar vs Juan Monaco

YouTube Best Of-3... Matches against Federer

No news from David. Which in this case probably does mean good news.
So - what to do with the blog? I'll be covering Argentina's upcoming Davis Cup quarterfinal tie against the Czech Republic (July 10-12) because it's important to David, whether he's playing or not. But as I've said before, I've also been trying to think of other things I could do to keep the blog alive and maybe make waiting for David's return a little easier...

Part of my plan is this new Best Of-3 series: three YouTube clips of David (the best I can find), one theme. Maybe you already know some of these clips, maybe you know all of them. But even if that should be the case, maybe you'll enjoy having a look at them again.
And on the eve of this year's Wimbledon final, what better way to start than with three clips from three great matches, David vs Roger Federer:




This clip focuses on the fifth set of the match and its special dramaturgy, from David leading 4-0 to Federer failing to serve out the match and the eventual tiebreak. This video is of better quality than most other clips from this match.




A few months later at the Masters in Rome, it was Federer who prevailed in the third-set tiebreak. This clip (uploaded fairly recently) shows a number of great rallies from a truly great match - even if David lost in the end.




The second of David's two victories over Federer during the weeks of Madrid and Paris. This highlights clip contains almost ten minutes of footage from this very entertaining match. - Enjoy.


More Best Of-3s to come. About all kinds of themes... :)