Spain aims for the Davis Cup finals: "We are very eager and very united"

Two days after the conclusion of the US Open, tennis doesn't stop, and this coming weekend will see the final qualifying phase for the Davis Cup finals. And Spain, the finalist from last year's edition, is already in Chile with its captain, David Ferrer at the helm, along with Rafa Jódar, Dani Mérida, Martín Landaluce, and Jaume Munar as warriors.

Before the action begins next Friday and the matchups are announced, the Spanish team held its first press conference on Chilean soil, which was broadcast live by the RFET. In it, they took on the pressure of playing as visitors, while they are not worried about the lack of experience of some of them, as, apart from Munar, Jódar, Mérida, and Landaluce will be making their Davis Cup debut.

Ferrer sees the Spanish team with excitement and eagerness

"First of all, with excitement and the luck of having young players with great potential. I think the lucky thing is that we have a very good combination of young players and those who also have a lot of experience in the Davis Cup, and on that part of the team, they can help each other, so it is approached with eagerness. In the end, the excitement of the players to compete and debut in the Davis Cup is something very important that I value a lot, and as the Davis Cup captain, I feel very lucky."

Jódar, ready for his Davis Cup debut in a memorable year

"It has been a very good year; I am very happy with the results I have been getting. That has given me the opportunity for Captain David to trust me for this tie, and I will try to help the team as much as possible. We are a team that really wants to do well here in Chile. We know it will be a very tough match against a very difficult team, especially in their home country; they will surely be very eager, so we will try to face it in the best way possible."

"This week of training should help us prepare well, to acclimatize to the conditions, and to be ready for the weekend to try to qualify for the finals at the end of the year."

Ferrer is not worried about the heat and humidity in Chile

"Regarding the climate issue, it is true that it is hot now. We come from Spain; it is warmer here, and the players also come from the city in the United States, where it was very humid. In that aspect, I think these conditions are not as heavy as you say. Furthermore, they also say it will be colder this weekend, it will rain, so the conditions can change. We know that Chile has a very good team, they play at home, and that the audience is very patriotic in that aspect; they will try to support and help them, but I think we are very aware of that."

"It is true that some players will debut, but they have played under pressure at really important tournaments, and in that respect, I am not worried because I know the ability they can have to face matches under pressure."

Ferrer spoke about the Chilean captain, Nicolás Massú

"I have very fond memories. When we were players, we have also seen each other over the years. In the end, we are captains, but there is a great mutual respect, not only with Nicolás Massú but also with Fernando González, with whom I have a great friendship. I was just talking to him; he is out for this weekend, but he is coming to visit us and we will be able to talk. So yes, I have a very good memory of Chile and its players."

Primeras impresiones y primeros entrenamientos en Santiago de Chile. ¡La puesta a punto de la Selección Española Generali de Tenis ha comenzado! Vamos, EQUIPO ❤️‍🔥🇪🇸#CopaDavis #DavisCup I #VamosEspaña pic.twitter.com/OOipTJLoRt

— Tenis España (@RFETenis) September 15, 2026

Jódar and his birthday gift in the form of a Davis Cup debut

"This year I have been traveling a lot due to the tournaments; I have spent very little time at home, so I already anticipated that my birthday would be away from home. But, well, I am surrounded by wonderful people who ultimately want the best for me. I feel that this team is very united and eager to face this tie."

"It has happened that my birthday will be here in Chile, and yes, I think the team is very excited to face this tie with a good mentality and to do the best we can."

Jódar reviewed his matches against Chile's number one, Alejandro Tabilo

"I think the conditions are totally different. In the end, it is another surface, another Davis Cup atmosphere that I think is different. We are two players who know each other well because we have played three times this year already, but those matches shouldn't determine how this duel will be. In the end, we are both great players."

"We will try to give our best for our respective countries and have a good match, a good tie, and take it one match at a time. I think in the end, that is the most important thing: to start the tie well, strong, trying to propose our game and all the arsenal we have in this Spanish team, and take it step by step."

Image

Ferrer does not feel the pressure of playing as visitors

"We do not feel that pressure. In the end, we are very aware, we are playing away from home, and many players have competed under that pressure. In fact, last year in the Davis Cup final against Italy, with a practically full stadium, we were very close to winning."

"We didn't win due to certain details because the other players were better in important moments, but they faced that pressure and did not feel it at all. But our players are prepared to face it and handle it without any problems."

Mérida also debuts and expects a "difficult" atmosphere

"In the end, it will be a difficult atmosphere. We know we are playing against Chile in their home, and we expect a tough environment, but we come prepared as my teammates have already said. I think we have a great team; we will try to give it our all this weekend, go all out for the tie, and prepare as best as possible these days."

"Knowing that they are great players, they have a very competitive, very tough team, and we will try to give our all this weekend. I believe we have some good days here to prepare, and we will make the most of them to try to be at 100%."

"It is my first experience, and I believe that being in difficult environments like this adds a lot to both the player and the team. Being outside Europe, I think, is also a challenge, and in the end, it makes the player and the person better. I think in this case, it is very positive; that is how I approach it, and I believe we approach it as a team. It will be a difficult tie, and I think it will make us more competitive and better players. In that sense, I see it very positively."

Munar will act as a veteran

"Until today, we haven’t talked much about what the weekend will be like, but obviously, I think they don't need me to explain what to expect in a Davis Cup atmosphere playing as visitors and in South America. I am convinced they have a clear understanding of what they will need."

"Obviously, I am here with a bit more experience, but as David said before, regardless of the Davis Cup or not, they are players who already have certain experience on the circuit, they have played in great venues, and I think they are fully prepared for it, whoever has to play."

"And obviously, I have that experience of having played against Ale, against Nico in the Chile Open, and it is part of what I carry on my back, but the reality is that I believe they are fully prepared to achieve it. They know perfectly what lies ahead, and they don't need me to give them any advice or anything like that because they are prepared players and also with a very good level of tennis."
 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, España, a por las finales de la Davis: "Tenemos muchas ganas y estamos muy unidos"