BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: Juan Martin del Potro will be playing in Argentina as the country's top-ranked player for the first time this weekend when he and his teammates face Spain in the Davis Cup final.

In spite of a long season on tour that culminated with a trip to Shanghai for the Masters Cup, the 20-year-old Del Potro said his climb through the rankings to No 9 has left him confident.

"There are still three days left until Friday and I think I have enough time to adapt as well as I can," he added. Del Potro is expected to play two singles matches in the best-of-five series. He began training with the team on Monday, after returning on Saturday from China.

"I'll have to make the last push of the year," Del Potro said.

Del Potro began the season ranked 50th, but four straight victories heading into the US Open pushed him well up the rankings. His winning streak was snapped by Andy Murray in the US Open quarter-finals.