Escanuela new head of Spanish tennis federation

Jose Luis Escanuela was elected Wednesday as the new head of the Spanish tennis federation, replacing Pedro Munoz who had clashed with players over the choice of Madrid for September's Davis Cup semifinal.

The 44-year-old head of the tennis federation in the southwestern region of Andalusia beat his only rival, Joaquin Garcia Ferrer, the president of the tennis federation in Valencia, by 95 votes at an extraordinary general assembly.

The new president will take office on March 9, the Spanish tennis federation said in a statement.

Munoz, elected in 2005, announced in July 2008 that he would not seek a second mandate at the helm of the RFET.

He had been strongly criticized by players, including world number one Rafael Nadal, Fernando Verdasco and Carlos Moya, for the choice of venue for the Davis Cup semifinal.

The players prefered a venue at sea level because they argued the high altitude of Spanish capital would favour the fast-serving US team.









Children play on top of rocky desert cliffs at sunset. AP Photo/Hasan Jamali