Rafael Nadal is in Delhi And You Can Watch Him Play For Free

Rafael Nadal-led Spain's arrival in New Delhi for the Davis Cup World Group play-off against India has created huge buzz among tennis aficionados. The September 16-18 tie will also feature world No.13 David Ferrer.

But the bigger news for fans is that the organisers are not charging for the tickets of the marquee clash. "DLTA has decided not to sell tickets in order to encourage young tennis players to come and witness world's leading players live on the courts of DLTA," the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association said in a press release.

"Although Davis Cup Ties do not generate any surplus because of high costs attached to the same in terms of organisational costs including minimum requirements as stipulated by ITF and players' fees and travelling expenses, it is a matter of great pride for DLTA to organize this prestigious Davis Cup Tie."

The matches have also been timed so that the stands are filled to capacity. While the action will start from 5pm on the first and third day, when the singles matches will be played, the second day will see the action starting from 7pm, when the doubles rubber will be played.

"DLTA has chosen to host the matches during evening time to make the event more accessible and friendly to the tennis loving people of Delhi so that the Stadium is filled to capacity to cheer the Indian Team," the statement added.

For India, Leander Paes will be the big name to feature in the marquee tie. He will most likely play the doubles with Sumit Nagal. Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan will play the singles tie for India. For Spain, Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez will be the doubles pair.

'Nice to be in India again'

The Spain Davis Cup team arrived in Delhi on Monday morning. Nadal and Ferrer then hit the the courts and indulged in an intense practice session that lasted close to two hours.

"The court is good, it's very humid. First day, we had a long trip. To be in India again is nice. I have been here a lot of times in last couple of years. I feel good here, good people, good crowd," Nadal said.

"I am representing my country and that's always special motivation. There's always confrontation when you are not playing at home, so difficult. India have a good team, it will be tough. They will be playing at home in front of home crowd in conditions they chose."

La Liga launch

The Spain David Cup team will also launch the La Liga in India on Thursday in the presence of La Liga president Javier Tebas and former Real Madrid player Fernando Morientes.

This is not the first time that the 14-time Grand Slam winner Nadal is playing in India. He featured in an Indian Premier Tennis League (IPTL) match against Roger Federer in the Capital in December, 2015. But that match was for only one set, though the fans lapped the opportunity to witness the superstars play with great enthusiasm. He also played in 2008 Chennai Open.