Top-ranked Rafael Nadal left off Spain team for Davis Cup quarterfinals

Nadal left off Spain team for Davis Cup

LONDON — Top-ranked Rafael Nadal was left off Spain’s team for the Davis Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday because of sore knees.

Nadal has struggled with tendinitis in his knees, which forced him to skip defending his Wimbledon title. He has not played a tour match since losing in the fourth round at the French Open.

Fernando Verdasco, Tommy Robredo, David Ferrer and Feliciano Lopez will represent Spain when the defending champions host Germany on outdoor clay in Marbella, the International Tennis Federation said.

In the other quarterfinals from July 10-12, it’s Czech Republic vs. Argentina; Croatia vs. United States; and Israel vs. Russia.

Germany will play without Wimbledon quarterfinalist Tommy Haas and go with Philipp Kohlschreiber, Nicolas Kiefer, Mischa Zverev and Andreas Beck.

The 32-time champion Americans will again use Andy Roddick, James Blake, Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan when they visit Croatia. They will face Marin Cilic, Ivo Karlovic, Roko Karanusic and Lovro Zovko on indoor clay in Porec.

Tomas Berdych, Radek Stepanek, Ivo Minar and Lukas Dlouhy will lead the Czechs on hard indoor courts in Ostrava against Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro, Jose Acasuso, Leonardo Mayer and Juan Monaco.

Israel, which made the Davis Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 1987, will be represented by Dudi Sela, Harel Levy, Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram on indoor hard courts in Tel Aviv. Russia’s lineup will be Dmitry Tursunov, Marat Safin, Igor Andreev and Mikhail Youzhny.