Ferrer defends decision to play Nadal in singles: "He was getting better every day".

Two days after Spain's elimination from the Davis Cup, David Ferrer spoke of his decision to field Rafael Nadal in the first singles.

The match, which the former world No. 1 lost to Botic Van de Zandschulp in two sets, was a match fraught with danger. By playing Nadal, who had not appeared on a court since the Olympic Games, David Ferrer was criticized for his choice.

The captain of the Spanish team explained his decision today: "Between Rafa and Roberto (Bautista Agut), seeing how they were training and the fact that Rafa was improving day by day, I was confident that he would bring out the competitive beast he has always been.

There was a question mark, as he hadn't played for some time. But if I was going to give this opportunity to anyone, it had to be Rafa.

I knew that, for the doubles, we could count on Marcel and Carlos, as they'd played together before. Doubles require a lot of concentration and rhythm, and Rafa hadn't played one since the Olympics.

In that respect, I was very clear about the order of the players.