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10 Reasons to be Excited for Davis Cup Weekend

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The time has come!  While Andrea has done a great job breaking down the World Group match-ups, I thought I’d spell out for you the specific reasons why you should set your alarm for 5AM, skip work, cancel all of your social plans, and dedicate your entire Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to the wonder that is Davis Cup.
 

10. The Newcomers

It’s been 8 years since Canada has been in the World Group.  For Japan it’s been 27.  In both cases the newcomers, led by youngsters Milos Raonic and Kei Nishikori respectively, will be looking to prove that they belong with the big guns.  Both teams have uphill battles- Japan hosts Croatia and Canada hosts France, but there’s nothing quite as exciting as fresh blood.

Team Canada puts on their most intimidating Davis Cup faces as they await Team France.

 

9.  Fedmania!

In a giant reversal of storylines, Federer is the only one of the “Big 4” playing in Davis Cup this weekend.  To top it off, he’s playing in Switzerland, against a depleted but still fun-to-beat American squad, and with good buddy Stanislas Wawrinka by his side. Love him or not, it will be fun to see the Legend soak in the well-deserved adoration and play in a team atmosphere on his home turf.

Federer and Wawrinka are sure to be full of smiles this weekend in Switzerland.

8. Russian Roulette

The Russian Davis Cup Team has undergone a bit of a makeover.  Alex Bogomolov, Jr. is not only making his Russian debut, but he’s the team’s #1 player.  Dmitry Tursnov and Igor Andreev, team mainstays, are absent while the struggling Nikolay Davydenko and the wildcard Igor Kunitsyn take their place.  Mikhail Youzhny is coming off singles and doubles victories in Zagreb, but has been complaining to the press about an injured shoulder.  All in all, there’s absolutely no telling what to expect from Team Russia as they travel to Jurgen Melzer’s Austria this weekend, and as always- that’s part of the fun.

With the mismatched Russian team, it's best to be expecting the unexpected.

 

7. Veterans Day

Some players have proven time and time again that they adapt to the Davis Cup atmosphere better than others.  Whether it’s Melzer leading his Austrian team, Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek becoming mental giants for the Czech Republic, or David Nalbandian discovering the game (and legs) of his youth, there’s nothing quite as exhilarating as seeing the veteran guys play their hearts out for their country.

It's always a pleasure to watch Nalbandian wear his heart on his sleeve during Davis Cup play.

 

6. The Battle of the Misfits

One of the ties I’m most looking forward to is Spain/Kazakhstan.  The Spanish Davis Cup stalwarts (Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez, and Fernando Verdasco) who have dominated the team competition for the past few years are sitting out this year, paving the way for their less heralded countrymen (Nicolas Almagro, Marcel Granollers, Legend and Former #1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, and Marc Lopez). Meanwhile Kazakhstan’s team is full of former Russians (Mikhail Kukushkin, Andrey Golubev, Yuri Schukin, and Evgeny Korolev) who migrated over to the neighboring country for a chance to shine.  It will be fun to see all of these former “back-ups” take the stage and fight for Davis Cup glory.

Golubev and Kukushkin will try and represent their adopted Kazakhstan well by dethroning the Spaniards this weekend.

 

5. Tommy Haas

Do I really need to explain this one? The often injured but forever adored German (when he’s not American) is back in Davis Cup action for the first time in five years! How lucky are we?  Let’s just sit back and enjoy.

We've missed you Tommy, unexplainable facial hair and all.

 

4. The Other Groups

Believe it or not, the World Group Playoffs aren’t the only Davis Cup action happening this weekend. There are some pretty crucial ties happening in “Group I” and “Group II” (don’t you dare ask me to explain what that means).  Teams in action that you might be interested in are: Ukraine (Sergiy Stakhovsky! Sergei Bubka- yes, Vika’s boyfriend!) vs. Monaco, Uzbekistan (Denis Istomin- am I the only one interested in him?) vs. New Zealand, Australia (Hewitt! Tomic! You know them!) vs. China, P.R., Great Britain (Murray-less) vs. Slovak Republic (starring recent ATP Zagreb finalist Lukas Lacko).  You’d be amiss if you didn’t scavenge for some (surely static) streams for the lesser-known teams this weekend too.

Find a choppy stream to find out if Sergi Bubka, Jr.- son of pole-vault legend and boyfriend of Vika- can lead Team Ukraine to victory.

 

3. The New Heroes

Every year Davis Cup weekend, especially the first round, breeds unheralded heroes.  Something about the five-set format, the team unity, and the pressure/invigoration of playing for one’s country brings out the best in some unsuspecting players.  Who will it be this weekend? Could Milos lead the Canadians past the accomplished French team? Could the upstart Japanese make Davis Cup history against Croatia? Could the Swedish team find a miracle and cause the Serbian team to sweat? As cliche as it sounds, expect a new Davis Cup legend to be born.

Maybe Andreas Seppi will grasp the spotlight and lead the ever-dramatic Italians past the Czechs.

2. Double Trouble

Davis Cup is the time for Doubles to shine, and this weekend is no different.  This weekend we have spectacular Doubles storylines: the reunions of fan favorites Fedrinka (Federer and Wawrinka) and Bendra (Julien Benneteau and Michael Llodra), the eternal mystery of who the other Bryan Brother will be (Bob Bryan is home playing father duty, so either Mardy Fish, John Isner, or Ryan Harrison will take his place alongside Mike Bryan in Switzerland), and the always delightful Davis Cup return of BerdWorm (Berdych and Stepanek). Whether you’re a fan of doubles, awkwardness, hysteria, or just misplaced volleys, Saturday will be a special day for you.

Can Bendra (aka Benneteau and Llodra) keep the magic alive in Doubles this Saturday?

1. The Cheerleaders

Let’s be honest- Davis Cup really isn’t about the tennis.  It’s about seeing the bromance on the benches as the fellow team members watch and frazzle along with us.  Nothing is as great as seeing a good cheerleader- whether it be Roger Federer on his feet urging on Stanislas Wawrinka, Juan Carlos Ferrero fist-pumping a Nicolas Almagro winner, or John Isner and Ryan Harrison embracing when Mardy Fish gets to set point, there is no better reason to watch Davis Cup than to inspect the camaraderie on the benches.

It's a blast to see all-star players, Champions, and macho-men be relegated to cheerleaders.

Tennis As Usual: Hey Marat, You Won the Match

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Marat Safin stole the show in Moscow, where most of the tennis action is taking place this week since both men and women are competing at the Kremlin Cup. As usual, Safin made headlines for something other than his play. After securing a break with opponent Noam Okun serving to stay in the match at 4-5 in the third set, Safin walked over to his chair thinking it was time for just another changeover. Little did Safin know that the match was over. Umpire Carlos Bernardes kindly informed the Russian that he had won and Safin finally walked up to the net to exchange both a handshake and a laugh with Okun.
Also advancing in Moscow on Tuesday were No. 1 seed Nikolay Davydenko, Robby Ginepri, and Serbs Janko Tipsarevic and Viktor Troicki.
Flavia Pennetta made the most noise on the women’s side with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 upset of Venus Williams. The crowd, however, had to be more enthusiastic about a host of Russians making it to the second round. Russian winners included Svetlana Kuznetsova, Vera Zvonareva, and Daniela Hantuchova.
Seeds also tumbled at the Bank Austria Tennis Trophy in Vienna, where No. 1 seed Stanislas Wawrinka fell to Philipp Petzschner in a third-set tiebreaker and No. 7 Gilles Simon bowed out to Eduardo Schwank, also in three sets. Fellow Masters Cup hopeful Fernando Gonzalez, on the other hand, survived Simone Bolelli after dropping the first set.
On the ATP Tour, however, the day really belonged to long-lost Joachim Johansson. The big-serving Swede, who had not played competitively in exactly one year, came out of retirement this week to take part in the Stockholm Open and he thrilled the crowd by winning his first match on Tuesday night over Nicolas Mahut. “Pim-Pim” fired 20 aces in just two sets en route to a 7-5, 7-6(5) victory.
In round two Johansson will face top-seeded David Nalbandian, a 6-1, 6-1 winner over Bobby Reynolds. Other seeded players who safely moved through were No. 2 Mario Ancic, No. 5 Rainer Schuettler, and No. 6 Jose Acasuso. Jonas Bjorkman, who is retiring at the end of 2008, was not as fortunate as his countryman Johansson. The veteran lost his first-round match to Juan Monaco in straight sets.

Davis Cup Roundup: First Round Day 2 Doubles Action, February 9

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Russia vs. Serbia
The doubles was a must-win match for the Serbians to stay alive, so despite neither player being 100%, Serbia fielded its best possible team in Novak Djokovic and top doubles player Nenad Zimonjic. On the Russian side, Mikhail Youzhny replaced Marat Safin and paired up with Dmitry Tursunov. For the first two sets, the Serbians were in control of the match, but it got much tougher in the third set as the affects of their virus caught up to Djokovic and Zimonjic – after the match Zimonjic would say they were just trying to “survive” during the third set. In fact, the Russian served for that set at 6*-5, but they didn’t and the Serbians went on to win the tiebreaker, allowing their team to try to fight back on Sunday. After the match, Djokovic said he did feel somewhat better but not 100% and did not know if he would be able to come out on Sunday to play Davydenko.

Russia vs Serbia

Czech Republic vs Belgium
With their top two singles players, Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek , back on court today for doubles, the Czech Republic clinched its spot in the World Group Quarterfinals with a marathon 5-set win that spanned almost 4 and a half hours. In a see-saw affair, the Czechs served for the first set but ultimately lost it in a tiebreaker. It was an interesting move by the Czechs to stick with their singles players instead of Dlouhy and Vizner, two excellent doubles players on the team. Down a set and a break to the Belgians Kristof Vliegen and Olivier Rochus, the Czechs made a fine comeback, taking the second set also in a tiebreaker. The match continued this back and forth progression through the fifth set, where the Belgians let slip an early break point only to lose it 6-4 in the end, sending the Czechs through to the Quarters.
Argentina vs Great Britain
The only real news we have here is that Great Britain finally made a set close, really close! The British team of Ross Hutchins and doubles specialist Jamie Murray were able to push David Nalbandian and Jose Acasuso to a 13-11 second set tiebreaker. They even had at least one set point in that tiebreaker to give themselves their first set of the whole tie but were unable to convert. Of course then they were bageled in the third, but at least Britain made one set close… So, the Argentines breeze through to the quarterfinals
Israel vs Sweden
Coming off their historical first Grand Slam title, it was up to Israelis Erlich and Ram to give Israel an all-important advantage going into Sunday’s singles tie, and they did not disappoint their home crowd. Starting off well and getting out to an early 3-0 lead, the Israelis were in control from the start. Excellent doubles in their own right, Sweden’s Aspelin and Lindstedt were able to keep the match close despite the straight-sets score. So Israel will head into tomorrow’s reverse singles with a 2-1 advantage and two very interesting matches on Sunday with Sela facing Thomas Johansson first up.
Germany vs Korea

Not a whole lot to say here as Korea interestingly did not play its top player Hyung-Taik Lee and instead played two relative unknowns in Jun and An. The German pairing of Philipps – Kohlschreiber and Petzschner – easily dispatched the Korean team, giving the Germans a 2-1 lead going into tomorrow. The first reverse singles match will pit Kohlschreiber against Lee, which should be an interesting encounter.
Peru vs Spain
After pulling out of yesterday’s opening singles match with an injury, Peru’s only notable player, Luis Horna, managed to suit up for the doubles. Playing with Ivan Miranda, however, the team was still outclassed by a stronger Spanish team – Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez – two singles players who still have excellent doubles prowess. Although the match was a straight-setter for the Spaniards, the third set was tight and went to a tiebreaker, which the Spaniards ultimately won. With the win, Spain wrapped up its victory and sails through to the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Peru can still be satisfied that it got to play in the World Group at all in the first place, and it now will look to a World Group Playoff match in September, where it will have to play for the right to be in the World Group next year.
Romania vs France
Hoping to keep themselves alive and also hoping to repeat their surprise upset of the same French team – Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra – in the same round in Davis Cup play, Mergea and Tecau started slowly, losing serve in the opening game and blowing a 30-0 lead at 4*-5 in the second to lose the first two sets. but fought bravely to come back and win the next two to send the match to a deciding fifth set. In the third set, the Romanians were able to save some crucial break points to force a tiebreaker. And at 5all in the tiebreaker, Llodra, who was the better player of the two throughout the match, gave his partner the chances to end the match on his serve but he missed a volley and allowed the Romanians back into it. Looking like they had all the momentum, the R0manians had a chance to break early in the fifth but were unable to convert and from then on the French eased to victory and to a 3-0 sweep to the Quarterfinals where they will play away in the US.
Austria vs USA
And to the bottom of the draw, which actually provided the first team to move through to the quarterfinals after the Bryan twins put on a dazzling display of doubles tennis to easily win what was, on paper, a difficult matchup for them, to sen the US team to the quarterfinals. Getting off to a flawless start, the Bryans took the opening set 6-1 behind some incredible volleying and returning. As the match wore on, it became more and more apparent that Melzer was still feeling the effects of his marathon against Roddick yesterday; the Bryans noticed this and started targeting him more and more to the point where, by the end of the second set, he could barely make a volley. After the match, the Austrians fully admitted they were simply beaten by two guys playing amazing tennis. And so, what more is there to say?
So, like they have done so many other times, the Bryans wrapped up their match easily in the third set and assured the defending champion Americans a place in the Quarterfinals, which will be held at home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The fact that the US wrapped up the tie today brings extra good news. Word from fans at the tie is that Roddick tweaked his knee at least once on the holey clay surface yesterday and that he was limping today on the sidelines; apparently, Blake was experiencing some back trouble as well. Luckily with the tie wrapped up, both of the Bryans can come out and play in their place tomorrow for the best-of-three set dead rubbers. And of course, hopefully Roddick and Blake aren’t hurt too badly.

Davis Cup Draw Ceremony Roundup: February 7

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All around the world today, the First Round Davis Cup draw ceremonies were held. Here’s all the important news and photos from around the globe! We won’t bore you with the “who plays whom first” stuff that you can get easily at the Davis Cup website. Instead, here are a few things that we think are noteworthy or that give a particular team a strategic advantage.

 Novak 2

Russia vs. Serbia
In what could turn out to be a pivotal blow to Serbia’s chances, rising Serb star Janko Tipsarevic is out of the first-round tie with Russia in Moscow because of a severe stomach bug and will be replaced by Davis Cup rookie Viktor Troicki. Fresh off his Australian Open win, Novak Djokovic will open the tie against Russia’s #2 player Mikhail Youzhny.
For Saturday’s doubles Marat Safin, amid rumors that he would pull out because some kind of serious injury, has been named to play alongside Dmitry Tursunov, apparently because next-in-line choice Igor Andreev was unavailable and Tarpischev felt any youngster he could call up would be unable to compete with the Serb team. Interesting. On the Serbian side, Djokovic was named to play doubles alongside doubles specialist Nenad Zimonjic in an unsurprising move that would make Djokovic an absolutely crucial factor in his team’s success. In Sunday’s reverse singles matches, Davydenko is slated to take on Djokovic and Troicki would meet Youzhny.

LATE BREAKING NEWS: In what would surely be a tie-altering revelation, it seems that Djokovic has also contracted this “viral infection” that has plagued teammate Janko Tipsarevic. After all the Haas Hoopla last fall, it’s hard not to think of this as some kind of bizarre coincidence. Hopefully at least this time, these guys can be tested ASAP to put the conspiracy theories to rest! However, he has not officially withdrawn as of the time we are publishing this, so we’ll have to wait and see what the story is when we wake up!
Israel vs. Sweden
Perhaps not as high-profile or more lacking in top players than some of the other ties this weekend, Sweden vs. Israel might actually prove to be the most interesting tie of the World Group first round. The tie was made even more intriguing after today’s draw, which has the more interesting singles match of the two – Jonas Bjorkman versus Dudi Sela – first up. This makes the first match even more critical than it might have been because if Sela can put in a solid performance and give Israel a 1-0 lead, it will set the Israeli team up nicely for the doubles, allowing top team Erlich and Ram to play knowing they will have at worst a 1-1 tie. Had the tie worked out the other way, Sweden would likely have been up 1-0, thus putting more pressure on Sela and in our opinion, making a 2-0 sweep for Sweden on Friday more likely.
A couple of other interesting things from this tie. Before the tie, Andy Ram apparently said that Israel is the weakest team in the world group and that they should not be considered favorites against anyone. Whether that’s true humility or some kind of mind game, we cannot be sure, but with one solid singles player in Sela and a top doubles team, it’s hard to call this Israeli team “weak.” Also interesting is that Jonas Bjorkman, one of the best doubles players of all time, has been left off the Swedish doubles squad in favor of Robert Lindstedt, a younger doubles specialist, so that Bjorkman can focus on his singles matches. A very interesting strategy for Sweden that, if Sunday’s matches are live, could prove to be a very important decision.
Peru vs. Spain
Not that this is shocking, but Nicolas Almagro – slightly lower-ranked than Fernando Verdasco but probably a better clay-courter and perhaps tougher mentally – has been chosen as a singles starter for Spain. He will open against Luis Horna in a match that is absolutely critical to Peru’s chances. It is a must-win match for Horna; there’s no other way to put it. This match actually has quite the potential to be a marathon. Although Horna himself expected to play Almagro, others were surprised. Robredo acknowledged that although Spain is the favorite in the tie, they still have to go out there and win. Horna on the other hand, hopes that the rowdy Peruvian crowd might help lift his teammates to surprising heights.

Austria vs. USA
Perennial American #1 Andy Roddick will lay his 6-0 head-to-head record (with no sets lost) on the line as he suits up to face Austrian Jurgen Melzer in Friday’s first opening singles rubber, which will be followed by James Blake and Stefan Koubek on an indoor red clay surface at Ferry Dusika Hallenstadion in Vienna. Despite Roddick’s one-sided head-to-head, he admits this match will be a difficult one, considering it is on clay and in front of a hostile Austrian crowd. Saturday’s doubles match will pit American twins and World #1 Bob and Mike Bryan against Melzer and Julian Knowle. On Sunday’s reverse singles matches, we’re scheduled to see Roddick vs Koubek and Blake vs Melzer if the matches are live.
The US Team has to be pleased that Roddick will open the tie, considering his impatient personality and impressive record against Melzer; plus, one would think (or hope?) that Roddick to show the world that his game is still on track after his befuddling Australian Open exit. Despite some concerns about the surface being rough around the playing area, US Captain Patrick McEnroe is optimistic that the surface will be fine for play tomorrow. Additionally, Roddick flatly denied having a problem with the court, asking where the reporter heard him say he was unhappy with it and that whoever told him Roddick didn’t like the court “doesn’t know anything.” Ouch. But of course, Roddick has to expect to have much of the pressure, considering Blake has never won a live Davis Cup singles rubber on clay. Double ouch.
It’s not that the other ties are unimportant or don’t deserve attention, it’s just that we don’t really feel there’s anything too important about the draw ceremony to make you read. So instead, enjoy the pictures from the draw ceremonies and come back tomorrow for reports of all the matches from around the globe!