Players Under the Microscope / Editor / 03 April 2007 /

Rafael Nadal has insisted his painful foot was not the reason for his defeat in the quarter-finals of the Sony Ericsson Open, although it is the reason why he will miss Spain's Davis Cup showdown with the US.

Speaking on his official website about the ongoing problem, Nadal revealed: "I am fine. I'm not saying anything about the foot as when you are defeated you can always complain about pain. I don't deny I have some pain in the foot but I still managed a win in Indian Wells with it, didn't I? So it's not an excuse."

However, Spain will have to do without the World number two's services for next Friday's Davis Cup battle with the US, as Nadal takes an extended rest to try and fully recover from his injury.

At present, the Betfair market for the tie is still taking shape but punters are likely to be hugely influenced by Nadal's absence when money does start to get traded.

David Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco make up the rest of Spain's team and will shoulder the responsibility of attempting to help Spain progress to the last four.

Spain are currently fourth in the outright winners market trading at 10 with their upcoming opponents America (4.4), Russia (4.3) and Argentina (4.2) all shorter.

The US have already named their team - Andy Roddick, James Blake and doubles pair Bob and Mike Bryan.

The tie will be played indoors and the winners go on to face either Sweden or Argentina in the semi-finals in September.

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