Argentine Davis Cup captain Daniel Orsanic has confirmed the team that will face Brazil in the last-16 match of the World Group, to be held in Tecnópolis from March 6th to 8th.
The four players that will represent Argentina in the famous international tennis competition will be Leonardo Mayer (ranked 29 in the ATP), Federico Delbonis (59th), Carlos Berlocq (74th) and Diego Schwartzman (64th), who will make his debut in the championship.
Juan Mónaco, ranked 94 in the ATP, has been left out. “Pico” has been a key player during Alberto Mancini, Ernesto Vázquez and Martín Jaite’s coaching years in the “Albiceleste”. “The decision to cut him out was strictly professional,” Orsanic explained, after rumors indicated Mónaco would not be part of the team due to problems with local tennis star Juan Martín Del Potro.
“I feel out of this new project. I don’t have any relationship with Del Potro,” Mónaco said yesterday after his victory in the Buenos Aires ATP over “Machi” González.
Today Orsanic, who will make his debut as coach against Brazil, revealed he tried to speak with Mónaco. “I called him after the game, but he might have been stretching or something because he did not answer. I will try to meet him today and explain the difficult choice I had to make, a strictly professional choice,” he told reporters.
Meanwhile, Del Potro will not be able to play the series against the Brazilians, as he is still recovering from an injury in his left wrist. However, he will have an active role in the match helping the team during trainings.
“Del Potro will make a great contribution to the team. He will eat with the players, help in training sessions, and be a great inspiration to the team, no doubt about it,” Orsanic said.
Brazil will visit Argentina with Thomaz Bellucci (ranked 71), Joao Souza (77) and doubles specialists Marcelo Melo (number 5 in the ATP doubles ranking) and Bruno Soarez (12). Orsanic was Brazil’s first single player Thomaz Bellucci’s former coach.
If the “Albiceleste” beats the Brazilians, the team will play either Serbia or Croatia in quarter finals. If Croatia wins, Argentina will have to travel to Europe to play the series, and if Serbia wins, the team will receive number one tennis player in the world Novak Djokovic in Buenos Aires, from July 14th to the 19th.
buenosairesherald.com