No chance of late Davis Cup call for Safin: Tarpishchev

By Mark Lamport-Stokes

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Russia's Davis Cup captain Shamil Tarpishchev has ruled out any chance of Marat Safin being drafted in as a late replacement for this week's final against the United States in Portland, Oregon.

Former world number one Safin has struggled to find top form since coming back from a knee injury and was left out of the four-man squad announced this month.

"This is our strongest team," Tarpishchev told reporters at Memorial Coliseum on Tuesday.

"I think that these guys play better than Marat and he is not going to be here."

Holders Russia will be represented by world number four Nikolay Davydenko, Mikhail Youzhny (19), Igor Andreev (33) and Dmitry Tursunov (34) when the three-day tie starts on Friday.

Although the Russians will be seeking a third Davis Cup title in just six years, Tarpishchev rates the Americans as strong favorites because of home-court advantage.

"It's not by chance that when we played in Moscow on the clay courts we won, because the clay court diminishes the attacking power of the players," he said, speaking through an interpreter.

Russia, spearheaded by the charismatic Safin, edged the U.S. 3-2 in last year's World Group semi-final in Moscow before going on to beat Argentina at the same venue in the final.