BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Rejecting pleas from its players and coach, the Spanish tennis federation chose Madrid's bullring Friday as the venue for the Davis Cup semifinal series against the United States.

The Spanish players had preferred one of the three other candidates — Benidorm, Tenerife and Gijon — for the Sept. 19-21 matchup against the defending champion Americans.

Rafael Nadal, the three-time French Open champion, was among eight Spanish players and captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario who signed an open letter this week denouncing the federation's process for choosing the host city.

The team said Madrid's 2,100-foot altitude will remove the team's home-court advantage and accused federation president Pedro Munoz of favoring the capital city because of sponsorship money.

The Spaniards are at their best on a slow clay surface, while the Americans — led by hard-serving Andy Roddick — are likely to benefit from the higher altitude speeding up play.