Argentina captain Tito Vazquez has yet to decide who will play singles alongside Juan Martin del Potro in the Davis Cup final, which begins on Friday. He has also yet to choose a doubles team. The Argentine press reports that the second singles spot will go to either Juan Monaco  or  David Nalbandian, a Davis Cup veteran, but a player who is frequently injured. Vasquez apparently is considering saving Nalbandian for doubles and the final day of singles.

Vasquez also has to name his four players by Thursday and will choose between Juan Ignacio Chela and Eduardo Schwank for the fourth spot. Nalbandian and Schwank have been practicing doubles together.

While the Spanish team of Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez are favored at home in Seville, Del Potro thinks that Argentina has a chance to avenge their 2008 loss to Spain when they played the final in Mar del Plata, Argentina.

“Spain is the strongest clay court team in history,” Del Porto told reporters. “But in Serbia [in the semifinals] it seems like we would need a miracle and we ended up winning.”

French Open champion Li Na bucks the trend and admits that her life actually has changed since she won a major. Li told CNN’s Open Court that on her first return home, she was swarmed.

“Life has changed a lot. I knew after the French Open when I went back to China the fans would be crazy,” she said. “I came back home and a lady (on the street) said, ‘Li Na, I know who you are, I need a photograph with you, an autograph.’ She spoke so loud and everyone heard it. More people were coming so me and my friend were full-power running to the car.”

Li also gave credit to her former coach, Thomas Hogstedt, who now coaches Maria Sharapova, for instilling belief in her.

“Thomas, he was very different to Chinese coaches,” Li said. “He always gave me confidence. First time he was saying ‘You can be in the top 20.’ I said ‘Are you joking?’ because I didn’t believe it—I never had a coach say I can be top 20.”

Golfer Rory McIlroy says that his girlfriend, WTA No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, is helping him bolster the mental aspects of his game. “When Caroline and I might discuss our own sport, I am very interested in how she prepares herself for the mental side of big tennis tournaments like how she goes about setting goals or whatever,” McIlroy told the Irish Examiner. “That sort of discussion gives me a good insight into how she deals with similar issues I might face.”

McIlroy added that Wozniacki’s golf prospects are better than his in tennis. “Being a tennis player her upper body is pretty strong,” McIlroy said. “She has more potential at golf than I do at tennis. The thing is that when I play tennis the competitive side in me comes to the fore and I want to play well every time but it just doesn’t happen. I would get more frustrated because I want to be able to grasp tennis straight away.”

USTA Player Development announces the eight men and eight women who are invited to participate in the 2011 Australian Open Wild Card Playoff, being held at the Racquet Club of the South on December 16-18. The winners will receive main-draw singles wild cards into the men’s and women’s draws at the 2012 Australian Open.

WTA players include: 2009 U.S. Open quarterfinalist Melanie Oudin, Fed Cup player Coco Vandeweghe, 2011 U.S. Open girls’ singles titlist Grace Min, 15-year-old Taylor Townsend, Madison Keys, Gail Brodsky, Jaime Hampton and Alison Riske.

The men’s field includes 2005 U.S. Open semifinalist Robby Ginepri , 2010 U.S. Open boys’ champion Jack Sock, 2011 NCAA champion Steve Johnson, Bobby Reynolds, Denis Kudla, Daniel Kosakowski, Rhyne Williams and Jesse Levine.

Three tennis players make Bing’s Top 10 Searches for Athletes in 2011, and all are women. Maria Sharapova was ranked No. 2, Serena Williams No. 3 and Caroline Wozniacki No. 5. Others are the list include golfer Tiger Woods (No. 2), former NFL quarterback Brett Favre (No. 4) and the NBA’s Kobe Bryant (No. 6).

French Open champion Li Na bucks the trend and admits that her life actually has changed since she won a major. Li told CNN’s Open Court that on her first return home, she was swarmed.

“Life has changed a lot. I knew after the French Open when I went back to China the fans would be crazy,” she said. “I came back home and a lady (on the street) said, ‘Li Na, I know who you are, I need a photograph with you, an autograph.’ She spoke so loud and everyone heard it. More people were coming so me and my friend were full-power running to the car.”

Li also gave credit to her former coach, Thomas Hogstedt, who now coaches Maria Sharapova, for instilling belief in her.

“Thomas, he was very different to Chinese coaches,” Li said. “He always gave me confidence. First time he was saying ‘You can be in the top 20.’ I said ‘Are you joking?’ because I didn’t believe it—I never had a coach say I can be top 20.”

Golfer Rory McIlroy says that his girlfriend, WTA No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, is helping him bolster the mental aspects of his game. “When Caroline and I might discuss our own sport, I am very interested in how she prepares herself for the mental side of big tennis tournaments like how she goes about setting goals or whatever,” McIlroy told the Irish Examiner. “That sort of discussion gives me a good insight into how she deals with similar issues I might face.”

McIlroy added that Wozniacki’s golf prospects are better than his in tennis. “Being a tennis player her upper body is pretty strong,” McIlroy said. “She has more potential at golf than I do at tennis. The thing is that when I play tennis the competitive side in me comes to the fore and I want to play well every time but it just doesn’t happen. I would get more frustrated because I want to be able to grasp tennis straight away.”

USTA Player Development announces the eight men and eight women who are invited to participate in the 2011 Australian Open Wild Card Playoff, being held at the Racquet Club of the South on December 16-18. The winners will receive main-draw singles wild cards into the men’s and women’s draws at the 2012 Australian Open.

WTA players include: 2009 U.S. Open quarterfinalist Melanie Oudin, Fed Cup player Coco Vandeweghe, 2011 U.S. Open girls’ singles titlist Grace Min, 15-year-old Taylor Townsend, Madison Keys, Gail Brodsky, Jaime Hampton and Alison Riske.

The men’s field includes 2005 U.S. Open semifinalist Robby Ginepri , 2010 U.S. Open boys’ champion Jack Sock, 2011 NCAA champion Steve Johnson, Bobby Reynolds, Denis Kudla, Daniel Kosakowski, Rhyne Williams and Jesse Levine.

SEVILLE, Spain (AP)—Argentina is already putting the pressure on Spain, calling the defending champions the favorites on home soil in the Davis Cup final.

Led by second-ranked Rafael Nadal and No. 5 David Ferrer, Spain is vying for its third title in four years while the South Americans are looking for their first in four attempts. The best-of-five series begins Friday on clay at the Olympic Stadium with two opening singles matches.

“There’s always pressure, especially in a final. But they are favored over us and have more pressure,” Argentina player David Nalbandian said Tuesday. “It is a very complicated series, one where we can win or lose all the points. We have to be well-prepared.”

Spain has won 20 straight at home since 1999, while Nadal and Ferrer are a combined 25-0 in singles play on clay in the competition. Nadal hasn’t lost a singles match since his debut in 2004, accumulating an 18-1 record in singles.

“We could win or lose 4-1 or 1-4 or 3-2,” Argentina captain Tito Vazquez said. “Rafa is a fortress on clay, and so is Ferrer.”

The series is a rematch of the 2008 final, when Spain won at Argentina despite missing an injured Nadal.

“That’s in the past, completely in the past,” Argentina player Juan Martin del Potro said. “After that final, we grew up. I’ve improved my game a lot and now we have another chance.

“Every final is different. Here it’s different players, different surface, different stadium and this time Spain is the favorite. It’s going to be different than Mar del Plata, if we are in good shape and remain focused.”

The pair of Spanish speaking nations have been testing out the court for days, with the Argentines still getting used to the peculiar shadows and light thrown up by the specially constructed structure inside the Olympic Stadium.

Vazquez said the surface was “relatively quick and slippery.”

“It’s not easy to see very well, there are bright spots and dark ones,” Vazquez said. “But that’s the way the court is. We have to adapt. That’s what happens when the host gets to choose the surface and the balls, which are also a little strange.”

Nadal is coming off a disappointing exit at the ATP World Tour Finals, where he admitted he had lost some passion for the game.

Vazquez is likely to choose between either Nalbandian or Juan Monaco to go up against Nadal to open the series, with Del Potro likely to face Ferrer after that.

“Every point of the series will be hard-earned and complicated,” the 11th-ranked Del Potro said. “Friday’s, in particular, will be very difficult for me and the other singles player who plays.”

While Vazquez included Juan Ignacio Chela in his squad, the Argentina captain is expected to insert doubles specialist Eduardo Schwank into the team for Thursday’s draw.

Spain captain Albert Costa is counting on Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco for Saturday’s doubles.