GENEVA, Feb 9: World number two Rafael Nadal of Spain pulled out of his first match in the Davis Cup against Switzerland here on Friday after injuring his right thigh in morning training.

Fernando Verdasco replaced Nadal against Switzerland's Marco Chiudinelli in the first singles match of the tie on Friday in Geneva.

Tournament spokesman Marcel Hauck said it was still not clear if Nadal would be fit again for his next scheduled match on Sunday. “He suffered an injury this morning during training. It was his right thigh,” Hauck said.

Switzerland also suffered a setback on Thursday when team leader Stanislas Wawrinka withdrew from his opening singles after injuring a knee in training.

In the absence of world number one Roger Federer, Swiss hopes of winning the World Group first round clash were largely pinned on Wawrinka.

But Nadal's absence appears to have evened out the odds on the grippy fast surface of the indoor court, which the Spanish clay-court specialists had feared would not suit their game.

Nadal had only just proclaimed himself as 100 percent fit when he arrived here this week, after recovering from a muscle strain in his left leg suffered during the Australian Open last month. —AFP