Germans eager to face Nadal's Spain in Davis Cup

Germany's Davis Cup captain said he expects Nadal to play after helping Spain avoid relegation from the World Group with a win over Ukraine last weekend and predicts a tough match.

Germany's Davis Cup captain has said he is relishing taking on Rafael Nadal's Spain in the World Group next January after Wednesday's draw in London.

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"That will be extremely difficult, but it's also a very attractive tie," Germany captain Carsten Arriens told SID, an AFP subsidiary.

Arriens said he expects world-number two Nadal to play after helping Spain avoid relegation from the World Group with a 5-0 play-off win over Ukraine last weekend in Madrid and predicts a tough match.

"Nadal will definitely not want to be playing to avoid relegation again," said Arriens.

After the London draw, Arriens said he will make sure his top players Tommy Haas, Philipp Kohlschreiber and Florian Mayer are all available after Germany beat Brazil 4-1 in Ulm last weekend to stay in the top group.

Germany's skipper hopes to play the fixture on grass at a large stadium, preferably Halle's 'mini Wimbledon' in North Rhine-Westphalia.

"We'll have to see if it is realistic to play on grass at that time of year," he added.

Halle was where Germany celebrated their last Davis Cup win over Spain in 1994 and the Germans currently lead the series 9-6.