SANTANDER, Spain (AP) Spain will begin its Davis Cup defense against Kazakhstan without Rafael Nadal.
New captain Alex Corretja included 11th-ranked Nicolas Almagro, Marcel Granollers, former No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero and Marc Lopez in the team for the Feb. 10-12 series.
Nadal, David Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco all made themselves unavailable for the first-round matchup in Oviedo after leading Spain to its fifth title in December, over Argentina.
Almagro says he was ``proud'' to be included after initially saying he was uncertain whether he would return for the first time in nearly two years.
Ferrero last played in 2009, while Lopez will make his debut.