Following his recent loss in the second round at Wimbledon, two-time Grand Slam event winner Safin went down to 60th place in the ATP ranking, having already dropped 36 places.

“I felt that I am not in the best shape right now and I need a couple of days to get ready, some extra days, and like I said it is the best combination,” Safin told journalists during the drawing ceremony.

Igor Andreev and Mikhail Youzhny will represent two-time winners Russia in the singles, while Dudi Sela and Harel Levy are the singles choices for Israel.

Levy, a lowly 210th in the world, will face Russia's Igor Andreev – the highest ranked player in the tie at 24th – in the opening match. Sela will then play Mikhail Youzhny, who’s also not doing so well in the men’s ranking, sitting at 69th.

However, Sela is prepared for a tough clash:

“[Youzhny] was eighth or ninth in the world at his best, and it is going to be a very hard game, I know that. But I will focus on myself and do what I know how to do and hope for the best," he says.

Even though this is Israel’s second time in the Davis Cup quarter final, the other being way back in 1997, they look forward to an overall win. The Israeli fans there have high hopes for their doubles team of Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich.

The pair captured the doubles crown at the 2008 Australian Open – still Israel’s only Grand Slam victory – and will play a key role for the home team, if they are to overcome the favored Russians.