By Nick Georgandis

Spain's tennis federation announced on Thursday that Alex Corretja will not return as the country's Davis Cup coach in 2014, a move that was likely accelerated by the team's first-round upset loss to Canada in February.

Corretja had a lot to live up to in replacing Albert Costa, who guided Spain to the Davis Cup title in 2009 and 2011. Under Corretja, Spain lost the 2012 title to the Czech Republic.

This past February, the Spanish team of Marcel Granollers, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Albert Ramos and Marc Lopez - none of whom are ranked higher than 37th in the world - lost to Canada 3-2.

In a prepared statement, the Spanish Tennis Federation said, "On the advice of the Sports Department and a unanimous decision by the management committee, it has been decided not to re-appoint Alex Corretja as captain of the men's national team on December 31. Federation President Jose Luis Escanuela Romana thanks Alex Corretja for his dedication and his professionalism and wishes him all the best."

Spain's Davis Cup team has seen a significant drop off in talent recently.

The 2012 runner-up squad had Top 20 players David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro on its roster. The title squad of 2011 was even more talented - featuring Ferrer, Rafael Nadal, Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco.

Because of the first-round loss, Spain must take on Germany in the first round in 2014, with the Germans hosting the event and choosing the preferred surface.

As a player, Corretja was a big part of Spain's first-ever Davis Cup title, which came in 2000. No word yet on who the federation is considering as his replacement.