The tennis players Juan Carlos Ferrero and Rafael Nadal have shown their satisfaction with the condition of the court at the Plaza de Toros in Alicante, where this weekend coming up, the preliminary rounds of the semifinals of the Davis Cup will be disputed between Spain and France, although they indicate that with the passing of the days, each day still becomes more favorable.

L D (EFE) "The court is a still a little soft, but in good conditions for it being the first day,� commented Ferrero, who was seconded by Nadal. The young Mallorcan player says that "it�s ok; maybe it�s still just a little slow. We need to hit the ball a little harder".

Both tennis players, who exercised this Monday morning in the bull ring for approximately two hours, also emphasized the climate as a favorable factor for the Spanish team. "The heat favors us", asserts Nadal, while Ferrero has said that "one will feel the heat soon enough, but I believe that we will be accustomed to it faster than they".

Ferrero and Nadal also agree at the moment to point out that Spain shares the favorite in the eliminatory, although they don�t have faith in the French unit. �They have quite a competitive team and away from home they�d wage war with us, but we are always the favorite when we play at home,� says the Valencian tennis player. About that matter, the Mallorcan also stresses the idea of the importance of playing locally and emphasizes that "we have the best players in the world on clay and therefore we should have confidence in our chances".

Nadal, by himself, admits that France is a "favorite" in the doubles "because they have a great pair that�s very put together and strong,� but indicates that, with Tommy Robredo, he can see himself with possibilities of winning. "We went to the semifinals at the U.S. Open and so we can�t be resigned to nothing,� he points out.

In respect to the physical condition in which he arrived at the eliminatory, Ferrero says that he feels �very well, finally" and begins the semifinal "with many desires to win, as when I played in Valencia, it is special for me, because I spent a lot of my life in Alicante and I train very near to here,� he adds. As far as he goes, Nadal comments that he spent week training on the clay in Mallorca and emphasizes that: �I feel better each time.�

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Espanol:

Ferrero y Rafael Nadal, contentos con la pista para la semifinal de Copa Davis ante Francia

9/21/04

Los tenistas Juan Carlos Ferrero y Rafael Nadal se han mostrado satisfechos con el estado de la pista de la Plaza de Toros de Alicante, donde este pr�ximo fin de semana se disputar� la eliminatoria de semifinales de la Copa Davis entre Espa�a y Francia, aunque apuntan que, con el paso de los d�as, a�n les ser� m�s favorable.

L D (EFE) "La pista est� un poco blanda todav�a, pero en buenas condiciones para ser el primer d�a", comentaba Ferrero, quien ha sido secundado por Nadal. El joven jugador mallorqu�n dice que "est� bien; si acaso un poco lenta todav�a. Necesitamos que bote un poco m�s la bola".

Ambos tenistas, que se han ejercitado en la ma�ana de este lunes en el coso taurino durante aproximadamente dos horas, destacan tambi�n el factor clim�tico como favorable al conjunto espa�ol. "El calor nos favorece", asevera Nadal, mientras que Ferrero ha dicho que "el calor se nota bastante, pero creo que nos acostumbraremos m�s r�pido que ellos".

Ferrero y Nadal coinciden tambi�n a la hora de se�alar que Espa�a parte como favorita en la eliminatoria, aunque no se f�an del conjunto franc�s. "Ellos tienen un equipo bastante competitivo y fuera de casa dan mucha guerra, pero siempre somos favoritos cuando jugamos en casa", dice el tenista valenciano. Al respecto, el mallorqu�n redunda en la idea de la importancia de jugar como local y destaca que "tenemos a los mejores jugadores del mundo sobre tierra y debemos tener confianza en nuestras posibilidades".

Nadal, eso s�, admite que Francia es "favorita" en el dobles "porque tienen una gran pareja muy consolidada", pero avisa de que, junto a Tommy Robredo, se ve con opciones de ganar. "Nosotros venimos de hacer semifinales en el Abierto de Estados Unidos y no podemos renunciar a nada", apunta.

Respecto al aspecto f�sico con el que llegan a la eliminatoria, Ferrero dice sentirse "por fin, muy bien" y emprende la semifinal "con muchas ganas, como cuando jugu� en Valencia, es especial para m�, porque hago mucha vida en Alicante y entreno muy cerca", a�ade. Por su parte, Nadal comenta que lleva una semana entrenando sobre tierra batida en Mallorca y recalca: "Cada vez me siento mejor".