• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Tennis Grandstand

Unique Tennis Perspectives

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / Archives for Davis Cup

Davis Cup

Draw announced for Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals 2022

April 27, 2022 by tennisbloggers Leave a Comment

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) and Kosmos Tennis have announced the draw for the Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals 2022, which was conducted today in Malaga.

The group stage will be held across four cities – Bologna, Glasgow, Hamburg and Valencia – on 14-18 September 2022. The top two teams in each group will advance to the knock-out stage, which will take place at the Palacio de Deportes José María Martín Carpena in Malaga on 21-27 November 2022.

Davis Cup 2022

The full draw is listed below:

Group A, Bologna Italy:

Croatia (1)

Italy (*)

Argentina

Sweden

Group B

Valencia, ESP

Spain (2) (*)

Canada

Serbia

Korea, Rep.

Group C

Hamburg, GER

France (3)

Germany (*)

Belgium

Australia

Group D

Glasgow, GBR

USA (4)

Great Britain (*)

Kazakhstan

Netherlands

(#) = seeded nation; (*) host nation

The draw for the knock-out stage also took place today, with the four group winners drawn against the four group runners-up. Teams competing in the same group will not be able to meet again until the final.

Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals 2022 Quarter-finals

Winner Group A v Runner-up Group D

Winner Group C v Runner-up Group B

Runner-up Group C v Winner Group D

Runner-up Group A v Winner Group B

Filed Under: Lead Story Tagged With: Davis Cup

Jack Sock, Rajeev Ram Put Team USA Over The Top In Davis Cup Win Over Colombia In Reno

March 6, 2022 by tennisbloggers Leave a Comment

An American doubles team of Jack Sock and Rajeev Ram was too much for a Colombian doubles team missing Robert Farah, as the American tandem overwhelmed Juan Sebastian Cabal and substitute Nicolas Barrientos to clinch victory in this Qualifying tie and punch the USA’s ticket to the Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals Group Stages in September.

Sock and Ram won their second straight Davis Cup doubles match together, 6-4, 6-3, as Barrientos was tabbed to sub in for Farah, who had a neck injury. Tommy Paul finished the tie with a 7-5, 7-6(4) win over Nicolas Mejia in a dead singles match.

The Americans will be one of the 16 teams competing in the Group Stages of the 2022 Finals September 14-18 in a location yet to be announced. The top eight nations from the Group Stage advance to the knockout stage of the Finals November 23-27, also in a location yet to be announced, that will crown this year’s Davis Cup champion.

Friday Results

Sebastian Korda (USA) d. Nicolas Mejia (COL), 6-4, 1-6, 6-4

Taylor Fritz (USA) d. Alejandro Gonzalez (COL), 6-1, 6-0

Saturday Results

Jack Sock and Rajeev Ram (USA) d. Juan Sebastian Cabal and Nicolas Barrientos (COL), 6-3, 6-4

Tommy Paul (USA) d. Nicolas Mejia (COL), 7-5, 7-6(4)

U.S. Davis Cup Team In Reno
U.S. Davis Cup Team In Reno (photo via Mike Lawrence / USTA)

Filed Under: Blogs, Featured Columns, Latest News, Lead Story Tagged With: Davis Cup, jack sock, rajeev ram, Reno

Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Sebi Korda Highlight U.S. Davis Cup Team For Face Colombia In Reno

February 2, 2022 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

The USTA and United States Davis Cup Captain Mardy Fish today announced that Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Sebastian Korda, Jack Sock and Rajeev Ram will represent the U.S. for its Davis Cup by Rakuten Qualifying tie vs. Colombia March 4-5 in Reno, Nevada.

Davis Cup is the World Cup of Men’s Tennis and is the largest international team competition in world sport, with nearly 150 nations competing each year. The Qualifier vs. Colombia is a best-of-five match series played over two days, beginning with two singles matches on Friday, March 4. A doubles match and two reverse singles matches will follow on Saturday, March 5. The first to win three of those matches will advance to the 2022 Davis Cup Finals – a 16-nation, multi-city competition held later this year with dates and locations to be announced. 

Tickets are on sale and can be purchased at usta.com/daviscup or via Ticketmaster.

The U.S. team competing in Reno is full of the sport’s top young rising stars and established Grand Slam champions.

Fritz, 24, is the top-ranked American man at No. 20 and reached the final 16 at the Australian Open this year. The Californian has competed for the U.S. in Davis Cup since 2019, when, at 21 years old, he became the youngest American to debut in the Top 25 since Andy Roddick in 2004.

Paul, 24, is ranked No. 42 and will be making his second Davis Cup appearance. A former junior French Open champion and 2020 Tokyo Olympian, Paul earned his first career win over a Top 5-ranked opponent and won his first ATP singles title in 2021.

Korda, 21, is ranked No. 43 and will be making his Davis Cup debut. A former junior world No. 1 and one of the sport’s top young rising stars, Korda rose from outside the Top 300 to inside the Top 40 in a span of less than two years and won his first ATP singles title in 2021.

Sock, 29, has been ranked as high as No. 2 in doubles and No. 8 in singles and has been playing Davis Cup since 2015. A three-time Grand Slam doubles champion and 2016 Rio Olympic men’s doubles gold medalist, Sock is 9-4 overall in Davis Cup play with a 5-1 mark in doubles.

Ram, 37, is ranked a career-high No. 4 in doubles and is making his second consecutive Davis Cup appearance. A two-time U.S. Olympian and 2016 Rio silver medalist in mixed doubles, Ram won his second Grand Slam and third ATP Masters 1000 doubles titles last summer at the US Open and Toronto, respectively, and owns 22 career ATP doubles titles.

This is the first time Davis Cup has been played in Northern Nevada. Davis Cup has only come to Nevada once before, a 1995 matchup between the U.S. and Sweden at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas that the U.S. won en route to winning the title that year. The United States owns an all-time record of 114-19 when playing at home and last won the title in 2007.

The U.S. and Colombia have split their four Davis Cup meetings, with the Colombians winning the latest matchup in the group stages of the 2021 Finals last fall in Turin, Italy.

Deloitte is the official sponsor of the U.S. Davis Cup Team. Wilson is the official ball of the U.S. Davis Cup Team.

For more information, including access to player and historical records, visit www.usta.com/daviscup or www.daviscup.com.

Taylor Fritz
Taylor Fritz

Filed Under: Blogs, Featured Columns, Latest News, Lead Story Tagged With: Davis Cup, jack sock, Mardy Fish, rajeev ram, Sebi Korda, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, USTA

Djokovic, Medvedev Highlight Davis Cup Nominations

October 25, 2021 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

The ITF and Kosmos Tennis have today announced the players nominated to represent their nations at the Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals, taking place from 25 November to 5 December 2021. The 18 teams involved will battle to be crowned Davis Cup champions.   The cities of Madrid (Spain), Innsbruck (Austria) and Turin (Italy) will each host two of the six groups, with Innsbruck and Turin hosting one quarter-final, and Madrid hosting the remaining two quarter-finals, both semi-finals and the final.   The six group winners, plus the two group runners-up with the best records based on matches, sets and games won will qualify for the quarter-finals.  

Group A – Madrid, Spain   Spain Pablo Carreno Busta Roberto Bautista Agut Carlos Alcaraz Feliciano Lopez Marcel Granollers Captain: Sergi Bruguera   RTF Daniil Medvedev Andrey Rublev Aslan Karatsev Karen Khachanov Evgeny Donskoy Captain: Shamil Tarpischev   Ecuador Emilio Gomez Roberto Quiroz Diego Hidalgo Gonzalo Escobar Cayetano March Captain: Raul Viver  

Group B – Madrid, Spain   Canada Felix Auger-Aliassime Denis Shapovalov Vasek Pospisil Brayden Schnur Peter Polansky Captain: Frank Dancevic   Kazakhstan Alexander Bublik Mikhail Kukushkin Dmitry Popko Aleksandr Nedovyesov Andrey Golubev Captain: Yuriy Schukin   Sweden Mikael Ymer Elias Ymer Jonathan Mridha Andre Goransson Captain: Robin Soderling  

Group C – Innsbruck, Austria   France Ugo Humbert Arthur Rinderknech Richard Gasquet Pierre-Hugues Herbert Nicolas Mahut Captain: Sebastien Grosjean   Great Britain Cameron Norrie Daniel Evans Joe Salisbury Neal Skupski Captain: Leon Smith   Czech Republic Jiri Vesely Tomas Machac Zdenek Kolar Jiri Lehecka Lukas Rosol Captain: Jaroslav Navratil  

Group D – Turin, Italy   Croatia Marin Cilic Borna Coric Borna Gojo Nikola Mektic Mate Pavic Captain: Vedran Martic   Australia Alex de Minaur John Millman Jordan Thompson Alexei Popyrin John Peers Captain: Lleyton Hewitt   Hungary Marton Fucsovics Attila Balazs Zsombor Marozsan Mate Valkusz Captain: Gabor Koves  

Group E – Turin, Italy   USA John Isner Reilly Opelka Taylor Fritz Jack Sock Rajeev Ram Captain: Mardy Fish   Italy Matteo Berrettini Jannik Sinner Lorenzo Sonego Fabio Fognini Lorenzo Musetti Captain: Filippo Volandri   Colombia Daniel Galan Nicolas Mejia Juan Sebastian Cabal Robert Farah Captain: Alejandro Falla  

Group F – Innsbruck, Austria   Serbia Novak Djokovic Filip Krajinovic Dusan Lajovic Laslo Djere Miomir Kecmanovic Captain: Viktor Troicki   Germany Jan Lennard Struff Dominik Koepfer Peter Gojowczyk Kevin Krawietz Tim Puetz Captain: Michael Kohlmann   Austria Dennis Novak Jurij Rodionov Gerald Melzer Oliver Marach Philipp Oswald Captain: Stefan Koubek
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic

Filed Under: Lead Story Tagged With: Davis Cup

Forest Hills Seeking More Davis Cup, Pro Events After Successful South Africa – Venezuela Tie

September 23, 2021 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

Davis Cup was played last weekend at the historic Forest Hills Stadium at the West Side Tennis Club for the first time since 1959.

The club hopes it won’t be another 62 years before it happens again.

South Africa defeated Venezuela 4-0 in the Davis Cup by Rakuten Group II Playoff Series, highlighted by victories in singles and doubles by rising ATP star Lloyd Harris, fresh off reaching the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open the previous week just three miles down the road also in Queens, New York. With the execution of this event under its belt, the long-time former home of the U.S. Open and U.S. Championships is in the market to host more Davis Cup matches or other big tennis events in the near future.

“We would love to host more Davis Cup matches or other big pro events at Forest Hills Stadium,” said Jason Weir-Smith. “The West Side Tennis Club has proven to be a suitable and enjoyable site for players and fans with an unparalleled tennis history in the United States. With New York, and specifically the borough of Queens, being one of the most ethnically diverse communities in the world, Forest Hills would be particularly attractive for national team events or tournaments with popular international tennis stars.”

The South Africa vs. Venezuela Davis Cup series was pulled together with just over one month of lead time. While Tennis South Africa, the host nation for the series, chose not to pay associated production and permitting fees to allow for the event to be ticketed for the general public, the club received almost a thousand email inquiries for tickets for the event. The event was attended by 200 enthusiastic invitation-only guests.

“People are nostalgic for tennis at Forest Hills and those who perhaps are too young to see pro tennis here have certainly seen videos and pictures that display the majesty, beauty and history of the club,” said Weir-Smith.

Following his opening singles victory over Venezuela, Harris, the South African No. 1 player, said competing on the Forest Hills Stadium court was “very special.”

“This is an incredible venue, so much history,” Harris said. “I learned so much about this venue and its history over the last few days. I’m obviously very, very honored to be playing and in a special place.”

“It’s a great honor for me to represent my country, especially at a place like this,” said South African No. 2 Philip Henning. “We love our sport, and this place is one of the places with the most history for tennis. I think a lot of big names played on this court.”

Said Venezuelan No. 1 player Ricardo Rodriguez following his singles loss to Henning, “As a player you always dream to be in the historic venues and the important sites and the most famous stadiums and arenas all over the world, and this is one of them. So, even though I lost, I still feel proud. I still feel lucky to be here.”

The West Side Tennis Club features 40 tennis courts on five surfaces, grass, red clay, Har-Tru courts, DecoTurf hard courts and synthetic grass. The 13,000-seat horseshoe-shaped Forest Hills Stadium was christened on August 11, 1923 with the Wightman Cup matches and hosted the finals of the U.S. Championships and U.S. Open from 1923 to 1977. The stadium last hosted Davis Cup in 1959 when Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and Neale Fraser led Australia to the Davis Cup title with a 3-2 victory over the United States team led by Alex Olmedo, Butch Buchholz and Barry MacKay.

South African Davis Cup Team at Forest Hlls
South African Davis Cup Team at Forest Hills

Filed Under: Blogs, Featured Columns, Latest News, Lead Story Tagged With: Davis Cup, forest hills, South Africa, west side tennis club

Davis Cup At Forest Hills Now Closed To General Public

September 6, 2021 by tennisbloggers Leave a Comment

The Return of Davis Cup to Forest Hills for the first time since 1959 will be a private affair.

The South Africa vs. Venezuela Davis Cup series, slated to be played at the historic West Side Tennis Club at Forest Hills September 18-19, will now not be open to the general public.

Tennis South Africa, the designated home nation for this Group II tie by the International Tennis Federation, has chosen to not pay production costs to stage a tie open to the public and thus the matches will only be open to no more than 200 people in the stadium by invitation only. Fees for permits and security and other logistics need to be paid in order for the matches to be open to the public. The West Side Tennis Club, which was proactively contacted by Tennis South Africa to ask if it could host the tie, has already invested $20,000 to have its Stadium Court resurfaced for the Davis Cup matches.

“We might be able to reverse this at the last minute if someone steps up financially,” said Jason Weir-Smith, tennis director at the West Side Tennis Club.

South Africa is expected to be led by Lloyd Harris, who has been one of the break-out stories of the 2021 U.S. Open with upsets of Olympic silver medalist Karen Khachanov and Wimbledon semifinalist and No. 7 seed Denis Shapovalov.

The South Africa vs. Venezuela best-of-five match series will be played the weekend after the conclusion of the U.S. Open on a hard court in the 98-year-old 13,000-seat historic horseshoe shaped stadium, which hosted the finals of the U.S. Championships and U.S. Open from 1923 to 1977. The stadium last hosted Davis Cup in 1959 when Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and Neale Fraser led Australia to the Davis Cup title with a 3-2 victory over the United States team led by Alex Olmedo, Butch Buchholz and Barry MacKay. The tie will mark the first time that Davis Cup will be played in the New York City area since the 1981 USA vs. Czechoslovakia Davis Cup quarterfinal at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows featuring John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl.

Davis Cup by Rakuten is the largest annual international team competition in world sport. One of the cornerstones of the tennis calendar, Davis Cup provides players with the chance to represent their country in an otherwise individual sport. Founded by Hall of Famer Dwight Davis in 1900, Davis Cup began as a challenge match between USA and British Isles, with that first event being held at the Longwood Cricket Club in Boston, Mass. Today, more than 120 nations compete in the annual event.

Lloyd Harris
Lloyd Harris

Filed Under: Lead Story Tagged With: Davis Cup, forest hills, Tennis South Africa

Miss Going To U.S. Open Qualies? Get Your Tennis Fix At Davis Cup at Forest Hills Sept. 18-19!

August 24, 2021 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

The popular U.S. Open qualifying tournament may be closed to the public this year but New York tennis fans will have another opportunity to see big time tennis this year with Davis Cup being played the weekend after the conclusion of the U.S. Open at the historic West Side Tennis Club at Forest Hills!

Tickets for the South Africa vs. Venezuela Davis Cup by Rakuten tie September 18-19 at the West Side Tennis Club at Forest Hills are now for sale at www.ForestHillsStadium.com Daily tickets start at $25 with special VIP group hospitality packages also for sale. The matches mark the first time Davis Cup will be played at the iconic and historic former site of the U.S. Open since 1959.

The first day of play will feature two best-of-three-set singles matches starting at 11 am and the second day, also starting at 11 am, featuring the reverse two best-of-three-set singles matches and a best-of-three-set doubles match. The winner will remain in the Davis Cup Group II for the 2022 Davis Cup campaign, two levels below the Davis Cup World Group that determines the Davis Cup champion in the Davis Cup World Finals in Madrid.

The current top South African players are Kevin Anderson, the former U.S. Open and Wimbledon finalist, who achieved a career-high ranking of No. 5, top-50 player Lloyd Harris, who beat Rafael Nadal earlier this summer in Washington, D.C., and former Australian Open and Wimbledon doubles finalist Raven Klaasen. Venezuela is led by No. 585-ranked Ricardo Rodriguez, the all-time leading Davis Cup player for his country.

The best-of-five match series will be played the weekend after the conclusion of the U.S. Open on a hard court in the 98-year-old 13,000-seat historic horseshoe shaped stadium, which hosted the finals of the U.S. Championships and U.S. Open from 1923 to 1977. The stadium last hosted Davis Cup in 1959 when Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and Neale Fraser led Australia to the Davis Cup title with a 3-2 victory over the United States team led by Alex Olmedo, Butch Buchholz and Barry MacKay. This South Africa vs. Venezuela tie will mark the first time that Davis Cup will be played in the New York City area since the 1981 USA vs. Czechoslovakia Davis Cup quarterfinal at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows featuring John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl.

Sponsorship opportunities are available by emailing Weir-Smith at Jason@thewestsidetennisclub.com.

Fans coming from out of town to attend this tie are encouraged to stay at the InterContinental New York Times Square, the official hotel for the South Africa vs. Venezuela tie. Located in the heart of Manhattan, InterContinental New York Times Square makes for an unforgettable retreat within New York City at the crossroads of the theater district, business and entertainment areas. Rooms can be booked here:  https://www.ihg.com/intercontinental/hotels/us/en/new-york/nychc/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps-_-IC-_-US-_-NYCHC and fans can take advantage of a limited-edition menu of dishes and juices inspired by both Davis Cup teams.

Davis Cup by Rakuten is the largest annual international team competition in world sport. One of the cornerstones of the tennis calendar, Davis Cup provides players with the chance to represent their country in an otherwise individual sport. Founded by Hall of Famer Dwight Davis in 1900, Davis Cup began as a challenge match between USA and British Isles, with that first event being held at the Longwood Cricket Club in Boston, Mass. Today, more than 120 nations compete in the annual event.

Filed Under: Lead Story Tagged With: Davis Cup, forest hills, South Africa, Venezuela

Forest Hills Tennis Rebirth! Historic Club To Host South Africa- Venezuela Davis Cup September 18-19

August 10, 2021 by tennisbloggers Leave a Comment

The West Side Tennis Club, the iconic and historic former site of the U.S. Open, will host Davis Cup for the first time since 1959 when it will be the venue for the South Africa vs. Venezuela Davis Cup by Rakuten World Group II series September 18-19, 2021.

The best-of-five match series will be played the weekend after the conclusion of the U.S. Open on a hard court in the 98-year-old 13,000-seat historic horseshoe shaped stadium, which hosted the finals of the U.S. Championships and U.S. Open from 1923 to 1977. The stadium last hosted Davis Cup in 1959 when Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and Neale Fraser led Australia to the Davis Cup title with a 3-2 victory over the United States team led by Alex Olmedo, Butch Buchholz and Barry McKay.

The top South African players in the ATP rankings are Kevin Anderson, the former U.S. Open and Wimbledon finalist, who achieved a career-high ranking of No. 5 but is now No. 75, No. 49 Lloyd Harris, who beat Rafael Nadal last week in Washington, D.C.,  and former Australian Open and Wimbledon doubles finalist Raven Klaasen, who is ranked No. 23 in doubles. Venezuela is led by No. 585-ranked Ricardo Rodriguez, the all-time leading Davis Cup player for his country.

“We could not be more excited to bring world class tennis back to the West Side Tennis Club, one of the most historic venues in American sports,” said West Side Tennis Club President Monika Jain. “While Forest Hills is most synonymous as the former home of the U.S. Open, the West Side Tennis Club has also hosted many Davis Cup matches, Wightman Cup matches as well as the Tournament of Champions men’s event for many years. We are thrilled to add another chapter of our illustrious tennis history with this South Africa versus Venezuela series.”

It will mark the first time that Davis Cup will be played in the New York City area since the 1981 USA vs. Czechoslovakia Davis Cup quarterfinal at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows featuring John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl.

“It’s been 40 years since Davis Cup was last played in the New York area and 62 years since it was played at Forest Hills, so this is an event that New York sports fans should not miss,” said Jason Weir Smith, new West Side Tennis Club director of tennis from South Africa, who was the driving force behind securing this Davis Cup series. “We invite everyone to come to the West Side Tennis Club to take in the beauty of our club, watch one of the most exciting forms of competitive tennis and be part of this very special event. We want this to be a start to bringing more and more world class tennis events to Forest Hills for years to come.”

Following agreement between the two National Associations, South Africa will be regarded as the Home Nation and Venezuela the Visiting Nation, and the tie will be played on the 18th and 19th September 2021.

Venezuela was originally drawn as the host for the tie, but because of the security environment in the South American country, the event was moved to a neutral venue. The winner of the tie will remain in the Davis Cup Group II for the 2022 Davis Cup campaign.

“With the core of our Davis Cup team being based in the USA during September and considering the tight COVID-19 travel regulations in place across the globe, it is a practical and pragmatic, for all parties concerned, to host the tie on neutral ground, in New York. We would especially like to thank the West Side Tennis Club for opening their doors to us, in order to make this unique situation a reality,” said Richard Glover, CEO of Tennis South Africa (TSA).

Tickets for the event can be found at ForestHillsProTennis.com. Special VIP hospitality, sponsorship, box seat and “Speak Easy” packages are available by emailing Weir-Smith at Jason@thewestsidetennisclub.com. The first day of play will feature two best-of-three-set singles matches starting at 11 am and the second day, also starting at 11 am, featuring the reverse two best-of-three-set singles matches and a best-of-three-set doubles match. The winner will remain in the Davis Cup Group II for the 2022 Davis Cup campaign, two levels below the Davis Cup World Group that determines the Davis Cup champion in the Davis Cup World Finals in Madrid.

Davis Cup by Rakuten is the largest annual international team competition in world sport. One of the cornerstones of the tennis calendar, Davis Cup provides players with the chance to represent their country in an otherwise individual sport. Founded by Hall of Famer Dwight Davis in 1900, Davis Cup began as a challenge match between USA and British Isles, with that first event being held at the Longwood Cricket Club in Boston, Mass. Today, more than 120 nations compete in the annual event.

Filed Under: Lead Story, Featured Columns Tagged With: Davis Cup, forest hills, South Africa, Venezuela, west side tennis club

U.S. Davis Cup Captain, Olympic Silver Medalist Mardy Fish May Have A Court Named After Him In Hometown Of Vero Beach, Florida

April 11, 2021 by Randy Walker 1 Comment

There is Arthur Ashe Stadium, Rod Laver Arena, but how about Mardy Fish Court?

It may happen in Vero Beach, Florida, the hometown of the U.S. Davis Cup captain and 2004 Olympic silver medalist Mardy Fish.

The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, the charitable organization founded by Fish in 2007, has been in discussions with the City of Vero Beach and the U.S. Tennis Association about refurbishing the town’s Riverside Tennis Complex in its harbor-side location on its central beach island area into a new state-of-the-art tennis complex that would rival many of the nation’s top tennis facilities. The facility would serve as a hub not only for all the local resident tennis players but also for many Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation funded youth programs, as well as junior and adult tournaments, special population programming such as Special Olympics, Wheelchair Tennis, Love Serving Autism as well a potential professional events on an intimate Mardy Fish Court. The Mardy Fish Court would be a beautifully landscaped natural Amphitheatre that would be located on the exact court where a young Fish first learned to play tennis with his father Tom and first dreamed of one day playing at the U.S. Open and Wimbledon.

“Riverside Park is where it all started for Mardy and him starting to love the game of tennis, hitting balls with me on that court in the northeast corner of the facility,” said Tom Fish, Mardy’s father and the President Emeritus of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation. “We look forward to hosting many young people in Vero Beach to Riverside Park where they can be inspired by the dreams and successes of Mardy and realize their own hopes and dreams while able to gain important exercise in a safe and healthy environment.”

The USTA worked with the Fish Foundation with a site plan, rendering and business plans for the facility’s operation. It also promised to help fund the project via special grants, but also via special presentation to mega donors during the U.S. Open. However, progress on the project went on a standstill with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the USTA’s finances taking a major hit with a fan-less U.S. Open last year, significantly cutting into its revenue that is used to annually fun tennis in the United States, including projects such as this effort for the Fish Foundation. However, as the country starts to slowly emerge from the pandemic, the Foundation has started to revamp its efforts, including fundraising, to revitalize the facility and increase programming.

“We also see this as being a beatification project,” said Lynn Southerly, executive director of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation. “Improving the courts and surrounding buildings and land would make it as pleasant to look at as our art museum and the Riverside Theatre. It would enhance the couple block area of our charming sea-side town for all our residents to enjoy. A beautiful-looking tennis facility would be a real feather in the cap for our Vero Beach community.  A facility of this stature improves our ability to serve our youth and community at large, gives us a place to hold income generating events that would benefit all our residents and local business owners and honor Mardy Fish, one of our great homegrown heroes and role models.”

The Riverside Tennis Complex is also the hub of the newly-created Treasure Coast Tennis Association, founded by former Baylor University women’s tennis coach Tim Palmer. The TCTA in conjunction with the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation completed a wildly-successful free program for Vero Beach children called “Whack-It Wednesday” in the fall of 2020, introducing kids to the sports of tennis and providing them important recreation and exercise. The holiday surge in COVID-19 cases prevented the program from immediately continuing in early 2021, but the program will return this summer. Palmer also has had deep discussions with the USTA Florida office in Orlando about bringing Love Serving Autism and Wheelchair Tennis programming to Riverside Park starting this summer.

Randy Walker, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation’s tournament director for its annual USTA pro circuit event, plans to start to hosting competitive tournaments for juniors and pros this summer and believes that a refurbished hard court facility would be able to host pro tournament, exhibitions and practice and training events for top pros, especially since Florida’s two biggest pro events, the ATP Tour’s Delray Beach Open and the ATP and WTA Tour’s Miami Open, are both played on hard courts. Current top pros Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia and Alexander Zverev of Germany have both recently considered hard-court training in Vero Beach.

The annual Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships ITF World Tennis Tour event brings in an estimated $500,000 in economic impact annually into the Vero Beach community.

Vero Beach is regarded as one of the most enthusiastic tennis communities in the country. It is also the home of Hall of Fame legend Ivan Lendl and former French Open runner-up and top 10 star Mikael Pernfors.

Riverside Park is also the home of the boys and girls tennis teams at St. Edwards School. Walker has made inquiries already received initial interest from a few college programs about playing special dual matches at Riverside Park on the six courts on the west side of the footprint.

Riverside Park Tennis Court Refurbishment Plan In Vero Beach, Florida
Riverside Park Tennis Court Refurbishment Plan In Vero Beach, Florida, courtesy of the U.S. Tennis Association

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Davis Cup, Mardy Fish, Riverside Park, USTA, Vero Beach

Taylor Fritz, Reilly Opelka, Sam Querrey, Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock To Play For USA at 2019 Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals

October 21, 2019 by tennisbloggers

The USTA and United States Davis Cup Captain Mardy Fish announced that Taylor Fritz, Reilly Opelka, Sam Querrey, Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock will represent the U.S. in the 2019 Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals November 18-24 in Madrid.

This year’s Finals – the first under the new, 18-team format featuring six groups of round-robin play followed by a knockout bracket – will be played on hard courts at La Caja Magica, the home of the Madrid Open. In Fish’s first ties as Captain, the U.S. will compete in Group F against Canada on Tuesday, November 19, and Italy, on Wednesday, November 20. Each tie features two singles and one doubles match, all best of three sets, played in one day. Captains have until one hour before the scheduled start of the tie to make their singles and doubles selections.

Félix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov, Milos Raonic and Vasek Pospisil were selected to represent Canada. The U.S. is 15-0 all-time vs. Canada, but the two haven’t played since 1965.

Matteo Berrettini, Fabio Fognini, Andreas Seppi and Simone Bolelli were selected to represent Italy. The U.S. is 7-3 all-time vs. Italy, the last tie being an Italian victory in the 1998 Semifinals.

The winner of each Group advances to the knockout Quarterfinal stage, as will the two second-best teams with the best records based on sets and games won. Performance at the Finals also has implications for the following year: The four semifinalists earn automatic entry into the 2020 Finals; The 12 teams that finish in 5th to 16th position will compete in the 2020 Qualifiers; The two teams with the worst records after the Group stage will be relegated to Zone Group play in 2020.

The U.S. team is a blend of Davis Cup youth and experience. Querrey is the most tenured Davis Cup player of the nominees, having played in 14 ties over eight years beginning in 2008, the year following the U.S.’s last Davis Cup title. Querrey, 32, featured in all three ties in 2018, going 3-0 in singles. Sock, 27, made his debut in 2015 and has played in six ties, in which the former world doubles No. 2 has gone 3-0 in doubles matches. Tiafoe, 21 and ranked No. 53, earns his second nomination, after debuting in last year’s Semifinals vs. Croatia.

Fritz and Opelka each earn their first U.S. Davis Cup nominations, becoming the 142nd and 143rd players to compete in Davis Cup for the U.S. Fritz, 21, has had a 2019 season in which he won his first ATP title at Eastbourne, over Querrey, and reached two additional ATP finals to make his Top 25 debut, becoming the youngest American in the Top 25 since Andy Roddick in 2004. Opelka, 22, also won his first ATP singles title this year, at the New York Open, and reached two additional ATP semifinals. Opelka, currently ranked a career-high No. 37, is second on tour to John Isner in aces this year, with 871.

For more information, including access to player and historical Davis Cup records, please go to www.usta.com/daviscup, www.daviscup.com or www.daviscupfinals.com.

Follow Team USA using hashtag #TeamUSATennis on Facebook @USTA, on Twitter @USTA and on Instagram @USTA. Wilson is the official ball of the U.S. Davis Cup team. Deloitte is the official team sponsor of the U.S. Davis Cup Team.

Taylor Fritz
Taylor Fritz

Filed Under: Blogs, Featured Columns, Latest News, Lead Story Tagged With: Davis Cup, Mardy Fish

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 15
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Connect with us on Social Media

TwitterFacebook

Copyright © 2019 and beyond by TennisGrandstand LLC