Fernando and Feliciano were honored at a reception at the Trump Soho hotel on Thursday, prior to the start of their 2010 US Open campaigns. The event, held in the library of the hotel, was attended by the Spanish consulate in New York as well as members of Spanish cultural institutions and members of the press.

Both players said they were ready for the start of the Open on Monday, Fernando saying “I want to do my best at this tournament. I hope this year can pass beyond the quarter-finals, which I reached last year.”

Feliciano and Fernando are part of the Spanish Armada, a nickname for Spain’s four-time Davis Cup champion tennis team, but also an all-compassing nickname for all of Spain’s elite athletes, who in recent years, have risen to occupy the top of their disciplines.

The tenistas said they continue to enjoy the triumph of La Roja, the nickname for the Spanish football team that recently became world champions at this summer’s 2010 FIFA World Cup, and likewise said they were proud of the achievements of their compatriots in other fields such as Formula 1, the Tour de France and basketball, just a short list of the recent achievements of “La Armada Española.”

(via impre)