Russia's hold on the Davis Cup is hanging by a thread after news on Thursday that Marat Safin is out of the singles with an ankle injury as his country prepares to meet Argentina in the quarter-finals.
The news is a big blow to the squad skippered by Shamil Tarpishev, who had said if only Safin's motivation was always 100 percent he could move tennis mountains and be "as dominant as Michael Jordan was or Michael Schumacher, Tiger Woods, you name it."
"Unfortunately, he has the talent but not the desire to be the world No. 1," said Tarpishev -- before finding out that it is the state of Safin's ankle which is the obstacle on this occasion rather than his state of mind.
Safin had been due to team up with veteran Yevgeny Kafelnikov and the hero of last year's stunning win over France in the Davis Cup final, Mikhail Youzhny.
But now Nikolai Davydenko, ranked 63 in the world, has to take Safin's place in the singles.
Barring the Russians' way on the claycourts of the River Plate Club will be a strong Argentinian quartet of David Nalbandian, Gaston Gaudio, Mariano Zabaleta and Lucas Arnold.
Nalbandian was due to open yesterday against Davydenko before Gaudio meets Kafelnikov, who then is set to team up with Safin on today against Nalbandian and Arnold.
Tomorrow, Nalbandian will meet Kafelnikov in the first reverse singles and then it will fall to Davydenko to oust Gaudio in the potential decider.
Usually the South Americans are near unbeatable on their home clay, although Safin and former French Open champion Kafelnikov were brought up on the slow surface.
Former Argentine great Guillermo Vilas, however, is in no doubt.
"Argentina will win easily," he told Clarin newspaper.
"Because we are at home, we are playing on clay and because when guys like these [Russians] who are playing well come to Argentina their form drops. Just look at Germany in the last round here," he said.
Safin, who said even before his injury jinx struck that his country had "no chance" of retaining the title, also admits that the hosts hold all the aces this weekend.
"They [Argentina] are more used to slow surfaces, and they play above themselves in Davis Cup. They are the favorites -- but we will fight hard to win," he told reporters.
Nalbandian meanwhile forecast that "all five matches will be tough -- we must respect the Russians although it could prove key that we are at home."
The French, losing finalists last year but winners in 2001, are still in the thick of things and they will start as favorites against Switzerland on indoor hardcourts in Toulouse.
Captain Guy Forget has again plumped for the tried and tested Sebastien Grosjean and Nicolas Escude in the singles with Australian Open winners Fabrice Santoro and Michael Llodra teaming up again for the doubles.
Switzerland will rely heavily on Roger Federer especially as No. 2 singles player Michel Kratochvil is out with a knee injury. His place is likely to go to Ivo Heuberger.
Over in Valencia, Spain, many people's favorites to win this year's cup, look too strong and compete on clay against Croatia, who shocked the US at home in the last round but who will have to do without their spearhead Goran Ivanisevic.
Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic are both great claycourt players, but arrayed against them are four of the best in the world on the surface -- Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moya, Albert Costa and Alex Corretja.
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