Del Potro back in Davis Cup after two-year absence

By Rex Gowar

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Former U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro was named in Argentina's Davis Cup team on Wednesday after a two-year absence due to injury.

Ex-world top 10 players Del Potro and David Nalbandian, both playing at Wimbledon this week, were picked for the singles in next month's quarter-final at home to Kazakhstan.

"That he (Del Potro) is ready to play Davis Cup is a great happiness. It has been a long time since he last played in Argentina," captain Modest Vazquez told a news conference.

"He has been looking very good... That Argentina can enjoy watching him play on these courts is special," he said after naming his team.

Juan Ignacio Chela, Argentina's highest ranked player at number 20 although the country's number three, and Juan Monaco will make up the doubles pairing.

Vazquez said it was difficult to leave out Eduardo Schwank, their highest ranked doubles player, but Monaco and Chela beat the Kazakhstan pair in the first round of last month's World Cup in Duesseldorf and reached the final against hosts Germany.

"'Pico' (Monaco) beat their number one quite easily (in singles) and also in doubles with Chela," Vazquez said.

The tie at Parque Roca on the outskirts of Buenos Aires will be played from July 7-9 because of municipal elections on the 10th. The other three ties are scheduled for July 8-10.

Del Potro, who won the U.S. Open in 2009 but missed almost the whole of last year with a right wrist injury that required surgery, has worked his way back up the rankings this season and now stands at 21.

The tall 22-year-old last played in a Davis Cup tie when Argentina lost to Czech Republic in their 2009 quarter-final.

(Editing by Ken Ferris)