Costa named captain of Spanish Davis Cup

BARCELONA, Spain, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Albert Costa, a former French Open champion, has been named as captain of the Spanish Davis Cup team.

Costa, 33, agreed to captain the squad for a year. The Spanish team took the Davis Cup title last month in Argentina.

Costa's predecessor, Emilio Sanchez, stepped down after guiding the Spain to the championship while playing without world No. 1 star Rafael Nadal. Three-time champion Spain whipped Argentina 3-1 in the final at Mar del Plata.

Sanchez had captained the team for three years.