Madrid picked as venue for Spain's Davis Cup semifinal with United States

MADRID, Spain (AP) - Rejecting pleas from its players and team captain, the Spanish tennis federation chose Madrid's bullring Friday as the venue for the Davis Cup semifinal series against the United States.

The Spanish players had preferred one of the three other candidates - Benidorm, Tenerife and Gijon - for the Sept. 19-21 matchup against the defending champion Americans.

Rafael Nadal, the three-time French Open champion, was among eight Spanish players and captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario who signed an open letter this week denouncing the federation's process for choosing the host city.

The team said Madrid's 650-meter (2,100-foot) altitude will remove the team's home-court advantage and accused federation president Pedro Munoz of favoring the capital city because of sponsorship money.

The Spaniards are at their best on a slow clay surface, while the Americans - led by hard-serving Andy Roddick - are likely to benefit from the higher altitude speeding up play.

It's the first time in 10 years that Madrid will host a Davis Cup match.

Friday's decision was made by a secret ballot of federation board members, with Munoz abstaining, national news agency Efe reported.

Madrid received nine votes, Benidorm four, Gijon two and Tenerife one.

The players - who also include fifth-ranked David Ferrer, former French Open champion Carlos Moya and former top-ranked player Juan Carlos Ferrero - have threatened to boycott all the promotional events for the federation and its sponsors as long as Munoz remains president.

"The problem is not so much the altitude but ... at first he (Munoz) said he would adhere to the requests of the players and then he went back on his word. That is what hurt us, that he doesn't honor his promises," Sanchez Vicario told Radio Marca on Friday.

Munoz said he hoped to mend relations with Sanchez Vicario, adding the captain would not be fired.

"I'll be speaking to Emilio. We want Emilio Sanchez Vicario to be on the Spanish bench for the match," Munoz said.

Madrid's selection came three months after the city's tourist office signed up as a key sponsor with the Davis Cup through 2010. Madrid is also bidding to host the 2016 Olympics.

Alberto Lopez Viejo, head of sport for the Madrid Regional Government, said the capital had "taken on the challenge to show again it is prepared to host great sports events and, of course, the Olympic Games."

"There is no better place than Las Ventas (bullring) for the Spanish players to feel so close to the supporters," Lopez Viejo said. "We have no doubt that, because of the distribution of the almost 25,000 seats, the United States players will feel the pressure of the rival supporters."

The federation has several days to relay its decision to the International Tennis Federation, which is expected to formally announce the host city by May 13.