In a big upset to the tennis loving crowd in Delhi, Rafeal Nadal pulled out of the Davis Cup match against India just an hour before the match. Rafael Nadal has pulled out of Spain's Davis Cup World Group playoff tie vs India due to a stomach bug. He will be replaced by Feliciano Lopez in the singles rubber. If Nadal, the 14-time Grand Slam winner, recovers on time, he could play the reverse singles against Saketh Myneni on Sunday.

There was huge anticipation about Nadal playing in India, and that too in a Davis Cup match. The RK Khanna Tennis Complex stands were also expected to be packed due to his presence. But the sudden development will affect the crowds turnout it seems. The second singles of the tie will be between Saketh Myneni and world number 13 David Ferrer, according to the draw announced by the International Tennis Federation yesterday.

India and Spain have locked horns thrice so far in Davis Cup with the European nation leading the head-to-head record 2-1. The last time India played Spain was as far back as 1965 when they lost the away tie 2-3. The pulling out of Nadal, a 14-time Grand Slam singles winner, is a huge dampener for the tennis fans in the Capital who turned up in huge numbers to watch the Spaniard in action.