BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - Over objections from its players and coach, the Spanish tennis federation has selected Madrid's bullring over three other contenders as the venue for the Davis Cup semifinal series against the United States.
Three-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal is among eight Spanish players and captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario who signed an open letter this week denouncing the federation's process for choosing the host city.
The team says Madrid's 2,100-foot altitude will remove its home-court advantage and accused the federation president of favoring the capital city because of sponsorship money.
The Spaniards are at their best on a slow clay surface, while the Americans, who are led by hard-serving Andy Roddick, are likely to benefit from the higher altitude speeding up play.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)