[usadatronourl]

Ah, nothing like a Battle Royale. All we know right now is that the Final will be held in Argentina.

Davis Cup - Regions battle for Davis Cup final
Eurosport - Fri, 26 Sep 16:48:00 2008

Argentine politicians have jumped on the Davis Cup bandwagon with leaders from four regions battling to stage the final against Spain in November.

Argentina usually play on the clay court of the Parque Roca in Buenos Aires but, after completing their semi-final win over Russia on Sunday, team captain Alberto Mancini said he preferred to face the Spaniards on a fast indoor surface.

The announcement immediately had politicians falling over themselves to offer their cities for the November 21-23 tie.

The Buenos Aires city government touted the Lunar Park boxing arena as a possible venue, even offering to close key streets in the city centre and make improvements to the stadium which is located in the financial heart of the capital.

"It's viable to close the streets to set up the stands and spaces required by the ITF (International Tennis Federation),"the city government's sports secretary Francisco Irrarazaval told the Clarin newspaper.

Cordoba, around 700 kilometres to the Northwest, and the summer resort of Mar del Plata are the other candidates and there has also been a bid from the western province of San Juan, although this appears to have fallen by the wayside.

The mayors of Mar del Plata and nearby Tandil, Gustavo Pulti and Miguel Lunghi, have joined forces in attempt to bring the tie to their corner of the country.

Tandil is the home of Juan Martin del Potro, who won both his rubbers in the semi-final to help Argentina defeat the Russians.

The pair suggested that Mar del Plata's the Islas Malvinas Stadium, built for the 1995 Pan-American Games, would be the perfect scenario.

"It's a modern arena... and has a good area of open space around it, which can offer all the complimentary services for the event," said Pulti, in an apparent swipe at Lunar Park, which is hemmed in by congested streets.

Corboda played their trump card when Argentina's number one player David Nalbandian, who was born in nearby Unquillo, backed their campaign.

"Cordoba has big potential, it's an excellent sporting scenario and I would like to play the tie there," he told a news conference.

The Argentina Tennis Association have not ruled out Parque Roca, which is by far the largest of the arenas with a capacity of around 14,000.

But Nalbandian said that it would be handing the tie to Spain on a plate.
"If we want to play on clay and lose the final, then go ahead," he said.

Reuters http://www.eurosport.yahoo.com/26092...cup-final.html