Spain won't renew Corretja's Davis Cup contract

By Iain Rogers MADRID (Reuters) - The Spanish tennis federation (RFET) said on Thursday it had decided not to extend the contract of Davis Cup captain Alex Corretja when it expires at the end of this year but has yet to name a successor. Former world number one Carlos Moya, who retired from the ATP Tour at the end of 2010, will take over to prepare Spain for their opening World Group tie at home to Germany at the end of January, local media reported. Juan Carlos Ferrero, another former number one, had also been considered for the job, they added. Corretja succeeded Albert Costa, now RFET sporting director, as Davis Cup captain after Spain's triumph against Argentina in the 2011 final. They were runners-up to Czech Republic last year before a depleted team missing injured talisman Rafa Nadal, who was also absent from the 2012 final, suffered a surprise defeat away to Canada in the 2013 first round. Nadal, who like Moya is from the Balearic island of Mallorca, returned to help Spain retain their elite World Group status in a playoff against Ukraine this month. Corretja said after the 5-0 victory in Madrid he would like to continue but the federation has decided on a fresh start. "The RFET announces that, guided by the criteria of the sporting department and with the backing of the board of directors, it has been decided not to extend Alex Corretja's contract as captain of the men's national tennis team on December 31," the federation said in a brief statement on Thursday. Corretja was quoted as saying in local media that the RFET had not given him any reasons for their decision or informed him who would take over. "Albert Costa told be two months ago he thought I should carry on," Corretja told reporters. "I don't know what has changed since then, because we have even won a tie," he added. "At our meeting they ended by saying the decision had been taken by the president (Jose Luis Escanuela)." In March 1999, Moya became the first Spaniard to rise to number one since the ATP rankings were introduced and held the spot for two weeks. One of the finest moments of his Davis Cup career came in Seville in 2004 when he beat Andy Roddick to clinch the title against the United States. Ferrero, who retired last year, helped the Iberian nation to their first triumph in the competition in 2000 and their subsequent victories in 2004 and 2009. (Editing by John O'Brien and Justin Palmer)