Nadal highlights Spain-Serbia matches

BENIDORM, Spain, March 5 (UPI) -- World No. 1 Rafael Nadal headlines a Spanish team facing third-ranked Novak Djokovic and Serbia in a first-round Davis Cup series this weekend in Spain.

Nadal has been out recently due to injury but returns Friday for the second singles match on the clay court in Benidorm, Spain. He will play Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic, ranked 47th in the world.

The best-of-five series opens with Djokovic, coming off a tournament win in the United Arab Emirates, going against 12-ranked David Ferrer of Spain.

The Spanish doubles team of Feliciano Lopez and Tommy Robredo goes against Djokovic and Nenad Zimonjic on Saturday.

Sunday's reverse singles is to open with the anticipated Nadal-Djokovic match. Nadal owns a 10-4 series advantage, including a 5-0 edge in matches on clay, against Djokovic. The second singles match Sunday sends Ferrer against Tipsarevic.

The victor in the Serbia-Spain series moves into the Davis Cup quarterfinals July 10-12 against the winner of a series between Austria and Germany.