Francisco Roig is the captain of the Spanish contingent at the ATP Cup which takes place in a few short weeks in Australia and the current coach of Rafael Nadal spoke about the tournament in a recent interview.
Roig admitted that the team which includes Nadal is nothing short of 'spectacular' and that he feels that they have the game to at least reach the last eight in Australia.
“It’s a new competition”, Roig said. "I played in the World Team Cup, which took place in Dusseldorf (in 1975 and 1978-2012) and also had two singles matches and a doubles match for each tie. Nobody has experienced this new event, but I can imagine it a little bit.
“The way they’ve promoted it has been incredible. You only have to look at the way the ATP and Tennis Australia are organising everything. It’s quite a show. I’m sure it will be very good. My job is to make sure that everyone is ready, organise the training sessions and look for a good doubles partnership.”
"There are lot of tough teams and you’re out if you don’t play well, but I’m happy with the group we have,” Roig added.
“The team we’re taking is spectacular. It’s a competition in which you’re always wary of a small mistake that could knock you out, but obviously Spain is among the favourites. There are difficult teams and the margin for error is small, but I’m confident we can play well enough to reach [the Final Eight in] Sydney. I’m optimistic that we can have a good tournament”.
Roig also took time to discuss Nadal and discussed his current state saying tat he feels confident in terms of how he's playing and that it is the question of maintaining this heading into the tournament.
“Rafa is spectacular,” Roig said, “He’s found some very good form. He’s feeling confident in the way he is playing and his serve is really helping him. I think Nadal looks great. Now it’s a question of maintaining his game.”