from sportinglife.com
9 April 2004

The Spanish team are in confident mood as they prepare to face Holland in the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup in Palma de Mallorca.

And Juan Carlos Ferrero is looking forward to playing on the court where he has fond memories.

The Valencia-born player enjoyed his first ATP triumph in Palma and will now be hoping to repeat his success there, this time for his country.
“It is very nice to return to the court where I won my first ATP tournament in 1999,” said the former world number one.

“I am feeling optimistic and have overcome a few muscle strains. I have been able to train without problems in the last few weeks and I am feeling fine.

“It is always special when I come back here. Above all, you can hear the ball resound after it has been hit on this court, although it may be difficult to with the stadium full.”

Carlos Moya, from Mallorca, has picked up four ATP titles playing in front of his home fans and is expecting an exciting spectacle.

“Holland has two players in the first 20 in the world and they can win against anybody,” he said.

“But for me, I know this court very well and have enjoyed a lot of success here.

“Playing in Spain we are accustomed to being favourites and we are used to the pressure so I don’t believe that will be a problem, particularly for me as I have played with it for a number of years.”

Jordi Arrese, one of three captains along with Juan Avenano and Josep Perlas, believes when the team plays in Spain it has no one to fear.

“Playing at home and on hard courts, Spain is the favourite against any team in the world,” he said.

“But this does not mean that we have more pressure as it is assumed by everybody and reflects the difference in the classification of the players.”

Holland captain Tjerk Bogsdra says he is happy to be playing in Mallorca but realises that his country faces an uphill task.

“Everything is fine and we hope to win qualification against Spain who are the big favourites and have two players in the top ten in the world,” he said.