Tired Nadal to lift Spain, Serbia eye more Davis Cup success

This weekend's Davis Cup semi-finals will see Rafael Nadal dig into dwindling reserves of energy to help Spain reach the Davis Cup final while champions Serbia may not even need world number one and Nadal's US Open conqueror Novak Djokovic as they bid to eliminate Argentina. Nadal arrived in Cordoba admiting he was "a bit tired" after Djokovic wrecked his quest to win an 11th Grand Slam. "I have played three weeks at the highest level possible. So I've arrived here a bit physically tired. We'll see in the coming days how I feel," said Nadal, who helped Spain land the "salad bowl" trophy in 2004 at the expense of the United States and was also on the squad which thrashed the Czech Republic in 2009. Modest to a fault, Nadal, 25, added that "anyway, (the team) is not just me. We are a team of four players and perhaps the captain will decide that one of my teammates is better prepared than me." Spain, who can also call on the services of Fernando Verdasco, David Ferrer and Feliciano Lopez, did come through the 2008 final away to Argentina without the Mallorcan colossus, but even a Nadal firing on less than full cylinders is an ace in the pack. France skipper Guy Forget suggests that to beat four-times champions Spain they would have to climb "Everest" as they look to reach the final for the second straight year. "They are not unbeatable but it will be very difficult. We know all about Nadal's hunger for tennis even when he is tired and Ferrer behind him is one of the most consistent people around on clay, so Spain are our Everest. "We must not submit to their style of play and ensure we can last the distance." Spanish counterpart Albert Costa insisted that "France are one of the best teams in the world" but suggested that "the absence of Gael Monfils might weigh heavily on them." Monfils, who beat Janko Tipsarevic before falling to Djokevic in last year's trophy match, is out with a knee injury. He also bagged two singles rubbers against the Spanish in a 5-0 hardcourt whitewash quarter-final last season, an outcome which means there is no danger of the hosts underestimating their visitors, who last won the trophy in 2001 when they beat Australia. For Costa, "last year's 5-0 in the quarters hurt us - but the context (this season) is completely different. We shall go into it without any feeling of revenge but just past this French team." Regarding Nadal's readiness he added "he knows better than anyone how he is feeling. He arrived tired, for sure. But we will see if he can recover and be 100 percent Friday. I'm just thankful he has made the effort to be here." Costa added: "We have better players than France, but all that means nothing if we don't prove it on court" as the hosts go up against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gilles Simon, Richard Gasquet, Julien Benneteau and Michael Llodra. Serbian fans will be asking themselves not just if Djokovic will be called upon, but if he needs to be after beating Nadal once again to make it three Grand Slams this season as well as 64 wins in 66 matches in 2011. "I am not invincible," said Djokovic after seeing off Nadal on Monday. The 24-year-old saw last year's Davis Cup win as the catalyst to his recent string of successes. Even so, team skipper Bogdan Obradovic has hinted he believes a squad including 13th-ranked Janko Tipsarevic and 16th-ranked Viktor Troicki can pull off a result even without the world number one. Argentina's quartet of world number 18 Juan Martin del Potro, Juan Ignacio Chela, Juan Monaco and David Nalbandian are experienced contenders but the Serbs will expect to advance having won all seven of their home encounters since independence. The Argentines are seeking to reach their fourth final - but have still to win the competition after losses in 1981, 2006 and 2008.