US Davis Cup: The Blame Game

With the United States Davis Cup team losing its quarterfinal to a country with less than one-sixtieth its population, there will certainly be some finger pointing going on. And I'm certainly not immune from it.

For starters, let's exonerate those who are largely free from blame on this one:

1. Andy Roddick. Some people might rush to blame Andy Roddick for missing this tie, sitting out with injury after seemingly appearing healthy at the end of his Wimbledon final just a week ago. Those people are, of course, delusional. Roddick's Davis Cup record of loyalty is beyond repute, and for him to take a week off after the most devastating loss of his career with what is almost certainly a legitimate injury is more than fair. Had he been able to keep up his Wimbledon form, Roddick still might not have been able to beat Marin Cilic (though he would have handled Karlovic pretty well).


2. Mardy Fish. Sure he lost his only match of the tie, but for Mardy Fish to push the much higher ranked Marin Cilic to an extremely tight fifth set on his least favorite surface in front of a "hostile" (James Blake's word) crowd was an extremely impressive showing.


3. The Bryan Brothers. Practically a guaranteed point, hard to fault the Bryans for this loss as they won their doubles rubber in just over an hour of abusive tennis. But more on them later...

And now the more fun part. The ones who do deserve the blame. Or at the very least a couple whacks with Dunlop's shame stick.

1. James Blake. Though he was an integral part of the US winning the Davis Cup in 2007, a lot can change in two years. Blake has been declining more and more rapidly, mentally more than physically. And he didn't have a lot of mental strength to start with. I can't say that I had any confidence that Blake would win either of his singles matches at any point, including when he led Karlovic 2 sets to 0. Blake said after the tie that he didn't realize how much he had been taking Andy Roddick's presence on the team for granted until he had to go out and be the top player on the team himself. Blake is such a class guy, but I think this needs to have been his last time playing for the US Davis Cup team unless his tennis drastically turns around.


2. Patrick McEnroe. PMac soaked up plenty of praise for guiding his team to the 2007 Davis Cup title, when all he did on paper was pick the two highest ranked singles players and the highest ranked doubles team. Nothing too remarkable there. It's tough to get a gauge on how effective he is as an on-court coach, but judging on the way both Mardy Fish and James Blake withered on Friday, I'm guessing it's not extraordinary. McEnroe's main problem, from an outsider's point of view, is a complete and utter lack of creativity or foresight in picking his line up, almost always going with the Roddick-Blake-Bryan-Bryan foursome no matter the surface or location. Putting in stronger clay court players like Wayne Odesnik or Jesse Levine should be an option worth considering, as well as giving more opportunities to players like Levine and Sam Querrey who likely represent the future of the American team in the long run. Exposing them to Davis Cup atmospheres and pressure can only be good for the future of the team years down the road.


3. The Bryan Brothers. (This is mostly rirected at McEnroe again) Yes, their Davis Cup record is unassailable. But they take up so much room. Having both Bryans on the team completely locks the Americans into playing the same two players in all four singles matches. The lack of options the Bryans cause can prove disastrous if the player plays poorly in a crushing defeat like James Blake did, and then is forced to return Sunday, and would be even worse if one of the singles players suffered an injury that forced a Bryan brother into a live, decisive fifth rubber. Certainly having a "guaranteed" point from the Bryans is nice, but it's hardly to say that they're the only pairing that could win for the US team. Mardy Fish won the doubles rubber in the 2008 Davis Cup semifinals with Mike Bryan. Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick won the 2009 Indian Wells doubles title, and Fish teamed with Blake to make it all the way to the semifinals of Wimbledon just recently. When Ivo Minar and Tommy Robredo looked shaky in their opening singles matches during this weekend's Davis Cup play, their respective captains had the flexibility to replace them. As long as both Bryans are on the team, the US has no such option.

Easy to pass around blame (especially to the guy in all four photos), but I have a couple possible solutions, too. My line up for the American Davis Cup team would be Roddick, Fish, Querrey, and Bob Bryan. If Roddick were out like he was this time, only then would I add Blake to the roster, to serve as an emotional, veteran presence more than anything, and definitely not playing him on the first Friday of the tie.

After several years of doing the same thing and getting results, it's time for Patrick McEnroe (or his replacement) to make some changes. The team is broken, and it needs fixing before 2010 if the US wants any shot at competing for the title.

Davis Cup QF: Checkers Over Stars & Stripes in Four

Croatia continued its surprising dominance of the United States Davis Cup team Sunday in Porec, Croatia, improving its record in ties against the Americans to 3-0. Not bad for a country with about the population of South Carolina.

Despite dropping the third set, Marin Cilic never looked out of command in his 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 win over James Blake. His movement was much better (no shock on clay), and his ability to hit casual winners at will was something Blake couldn't match despite clearly trying. Seeing Cilic win with ease makes me appreciate more what Mardy Fish did in hanging with the big Croat on Friday.

Cilic has been playing far better tennis of recent than Blake, so for Blake to beat him in Croatia on clay was too much to ask. Unlike beating Karlovic on clay, which was a personably doable assignment for Blake.

In fact, Blake actually exceeded expectations on Sunday by taking a set off Cilic. Because of the way he lost on Friday and the way he whined about the crowd afterwards, I didn't think he'd have a whole lot of fight left for Cilic. There probably isn't anyone with as much to prove on the US hard court swing as Blake, so hopefully winning three sets in Croatia gives him something of a boost.

Not that it means a whole lot, but kudos to Bob Bryan for winning his dead rubber in a third set tiebreak. It doesn't make a lot of sense for him to pursue singles at this stage in his career, but watching him play pretty solid tennis to beat Roko Karanusic makes me wonder what he could have achieved in singles had he kept at it.

I'll have more on what this loss means for the present and future of US Davis Cup tomorrow and who's to blame for this quarterfinal loss. Suffice it to say that there's plenty to go around.

Davis Cup QF: Defending Champs Through in Five Thanks to Old Man Ferrero

Spain moved one step closer to defending it Davis Cup title thanks to one of its older hombres. Juan Carlos Ferrero, fresh off his quarterfinal run at Wimbledon, defeated Andreas Beck 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to send Spain to a home semifinal vs. Israel in September. With this win in Marbella, Andalusia, Spain improved to an astonishing 16-0 in its last sixteen home Davis Cup ties. None too shabby.

Ferrero took over the singles slot for Tommy Robredo, another older Spaniard who was justifiably replaced after a lackluster showing on Friday.

Tough to see a guy like Philipp Kohlschreiber play so well--winning two singles matches for Germany--and still see his country come away with an "L". In a thrilling battle between Friday's winners, Kohlschreiber outlasted Fernando Verdasco 8-6 in the fifth. Would be interesting to see if Kohlschreiber would have made a difference in the doubles, which for my money is ultimately where this tie was won for Spain.

Should Nicholas Kiefer have played in place of Beck? Even though I presumed that was going to happen. I didn't get to see Kiefer play doubles on Saturday, though, so maybe he didn't look too sharp. Beck, though generally impressive on Friday, had to have been emotionally spent after blowing a 2-1 lead against Changing things up worked well for Spain and the Czech Republic, so maybe it could've for Germany as well.

Germany has to be pretty happy with the effort though. Pushing the defending champs to five matches on hostile turf (both in Spain and on clay) should mean they can go back to Deutschland with their heads held pretty high.

And for Spain to win this tie without the services of either Rafael Nadal or David Ferrer is even more impressive. Tough to see anyone stopping them from repeating.

Davis Cup QF: Stepanek Steps In, Czechs Win 3-2

As I had predicted before the tie even started (and again after Day 1, and then again after Day 2), Radek Stepanek proved to be the hero for the Czech Republic in the decisive fifth rubber, defeating Juan Monaco in straight sets, 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-2.

After Juan Martin del Potro ran roughshod over Tomas Berdych to level the quarterfinal at two-a-piece, Stepanek was picked to play the final singles match of the tie in place of presumed singles player Ivo Minar, who had played (poorly) in singles on Friday. His knee held up, much to the chagrin of bitter Argentine coach Tito Vazquez.

“We knew that Stepanek was going to be in good shape,” Vazquez said after the loss. “It proved he was not injured at all. You cannot run a lot [with a knee injury]."

Along with Juan Carlos Ferrero (more on him later), Stepanek was one of two players Sunday who won his singles match after not playing Friday. Singles debuts Sunday went 2-0. Players coming back to live rubbers on Sunday after having lost on Friday were 0-2 (Monaco and Blake). It shows how important some creativity in coaching can be to Davis Cup success.

Take note, PMac.

Davis Cup QF: All Three Hosts Go Into Sunday With 2-1 Lead

Aside from the Israeli's assured victory over Russia, there's a lot still hanging in the balance in these Davis Cup Quarterfinals, with the three remaining ties all at 2-1, with the home country having the advantage in each. A quick run down of what happened today and where it all stands going into the deciding matches Friday:

ARGENTINA @ CZECH REPUBLIC (CZECHS LEADS 2-1)
CEZ Arena, Ostrava, Czech Republic (Indoor Hard)

Tomas Berdych/Radek Stepanek (CZE) def. Jose Acasuso/Leonardo Mayer (ARG) 6-1, 6-4, 6-3

Sunday's Expected Schedule:
Tomas Berdych (CZE) v Juan Martin del Potro (ARG)*
Ivo Minar (CZE) v Juan Monaco (ARG)*

A very easy win for the Czechs today, as the Argentines decided to rest their top players for Sunday's singles matches. Though Stepanek expressed some surprise at the switch after the match, it wasn't a bad decision at all. The risk, of course, is that the injured Radek Stepanek could be a last-minute sub for Ivo Minar. If Minar does indeed get the nod, look for Argentina to sweep on Sunday for the comeback win. If Stepanek feels well enough to play, look for the Czechs to make it into the semifinal.

USA @ CROATIA (CROATIA LEADS 2-1)
Sportska Dvorana, Porec, Croatia (Indoor Clay)

Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan (USA) def. Roko Karanusic/Lovro Zovko 6-3, 6-1, 6-3

Sunday's Expected Schedule:
Marin Cilic (CRO) v James Blake (USA)*
Ivo Karlovic (CRO) v Mardy Fish (USA)*

After Friday's singles matches proved a double marathon that lasted almost nine hours, the Bryan Brothers made things considerably more brief today, beating the Croatian reserve players in 68 minutes. I blinked and missed it. It was a long blink, to be fair. Croatian Captain Goran Prpic said before the tie that his strategy was to get three singles wins, and this match certainly showed that. While the Croatians had no chance against the Bryans, the inclusion of the doubles specialist twins gives the US significantly less flexibility on Sunday thanteams like Spain or Germany enjoy, as each of those teams brought four capable singles players.

I think Mardy Fish has a pretty good chance against Ivo Karlovic in the potential fifth match, but I don't think it will matter since James Blake hasn't much of a chance against Cilic. The Bryans said in their post-match interview that Blake was in great spirits today, but I have to think all the things that bothered him about the Croatian crowd on Friday will haunt him again tomorrow.

GERMANY @ SPAIN (SPAIN LEADS 2-1)
Venue: Plaza de Toros de Puerto Banus, Marbella (Outdoor Clay)

Feliciano Lopez/Fernando Verdasco (ESP) def Nicolas Kiefer/Mischa Zverev (GER)* 6-3, 7-6(1), 6-7(6), 6-3

Sunday's Expected Schedule:
Fernando Verdasco (ESP) v Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER)*
Tommy Robredo (ESP) v Andreas Beck (GER)*

A nice if predictable win for the Spanish pair against two pretty solid players in Kiefer and Zverev. Germany probably needed to get a win in the doubles to have a shot, as I don't see Andreas Beck being able to beat Tommy Robredo's steady level of play. If the Germans pull a surprise and put in a somewhat gimpy Kiefer for the fifth rubber, it could make things more interesting.

With the tie in Tel Aviv now largely irrelevant, a nice later start on Sunday, with all three ties now in the Central European time zone. Any extra time to sleep is always appreciated.

Davis Cup QF: Israel Finishes Stunning Beatdown of Russia

The Israeli Davis Cup team, previously best known for playing in an empty arena in Sweden, advanced to its first ever Davis Cup semifinal by sweeping 2006 Davis Cup champion Russia 3-0. The Russians may pick up a dead rubber or two tomorrow, but in the competitive matches they were completely shut out by the underdog Israelis.

The reunited team of Israelis Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram survived a determined comeback effort powered by Marat Safin and partner Igor Kunitsyn, winning the doubles rubber 6-3, 6-4, 6-7(3), 4-6, 6-4 in front of a raucous home crowd in Tel Aviv.

The way Israel shut out Russia makes this easily one of the most shocking upsets in all of sport for 2009. Israel was relegated outside of the World Group (the main division of sixteen countries who compete for the Davis Cup in a given year) as recently as 2007. Israel boasts only one player ranked within the top 200. Russia has eight players in the top 100, including three ranked higher than the highest-ranked Israeli, Dudi Sela. Only one of those three players ranked above Sela, Igor Andreev, decided to play for Russia in this quarterfinal.

The Russian Davis Cup team made back to back finals in 2006 and 2007, and had not lost before the semifinals since 2004. This loss comes at a time when a Russian man has only made one slam semifinal in the last seven slams (Safin, Wimbledon 2008), and when no Russian man has made a slam final since 2005 (Safin, Australian Open). Safin, the last Russian player to flirt with greatness at the highest levels and their perennial Davis Cup workhorse, is set to retire at the end of the year.

So where does his departure leave Russian men's tennis? Not in a good place, for now. Nikolay Davydenko, Dmitry Tursunov, and Igor Andreev have all presumably peaked. The only young up-and-comer to speak of, Igor Kunitsyn, has showed glimmers of potential in recent years, but lacks the power to ever be a serious contender in the second week of a slam.

Things aren't all bad for the sport in Mother Russia, obviously, as four of the top seven female players in the WTA rankings are Russians. A Russian complaining about their lack of men's tennis success would results would be like a Pittsburgher bemoaning the Pirates not matching the championships of the Steelers and Penguins. Hard to work up too much sympathy.

Davis Cup QF: After 10 Sets, Croatia 2 - USA 0

USA @ CROATIA (CROATIA LEADS 2-0)
Sportska Dvorana, Porec, Croatia (Indoor Clay)

Ivo Karlovic (CRO) def James Blake (USA) 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 7-5
Marin Cilic (CRO) def Mardy Fish (USA) 4-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-1, 8-6

Croatia continued its dominance of the United States in Davis Cup into 2009, winning both matches on Friday in five sets.

The heartbreaking losses for the US both featured decidedly crappy play on both sides of the net, with no player able to sustain any sort of form. While the clay surface was picked by Croatia to disadvantage the Americans, it proved to be a much smaller factor than expected, as neither Croatian looked particularly sharp on the shifty red stuff, either. Cilic and and Karlovic both broke for the wins at the end of long fifth sets, benefitting from mental exhaustion on the parts of the Americans as much as anything.

Blake looked sharp early on, but the pressure of returning Karlovic's serve for hours on end eventually wore him down, as did a hostile crowd he would later call "disrespectful." Karlovic, the only player in action this weekend in Davis Cup to have reached the quarterfinals or better at Wimbledon, celebrated his victory with a few choice spanking gestures before meeting Blake at the net for the handshake. It wasn't entirely clear what Blake had the 6'10'' Karlovic bend down to hear during their post-match summit at the umpire's chair, but it was clear from Karlovic's expression that it wasn't hearty congratulations...

Mardy Fish appeared to be a game opponent for Marin Cilic several times during their match, but ultimately seemed to lose focus in his first Davis Cup action in some time. Cilic was surprisingly unimpressive, but his B-game was enough to beat Mardy's B+.

For both Blake and Fish, this was their second back to back five set loss, counting the loss the pair suffered in the Wimbledon semifinals of men's doubles. It would be near impossible for these crushing defeats not to take a toll on them that will have an effect into Sunday's matches.

Croatian Captain Goran Prpic all but conceded Saturday's doubles tie, so the Americans should head into Sunday with at least a glimmer of hope.

Davis Final QF: Spain and Germany Even at 1-1

GERMANY @ SPAIN (TIED 1-1)
Venue: Plaza de Toros de Puerto Banus, Marbella (Outdoor Clay)

Fernando Verdasco (ESP) def Andreas Beck (GER) 6-0, 3-6, 6-7, 6-2, 6-1
Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) def Tommy Robredo (ESP) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4

No big surprises on Day 1 in Andalusia, as Spain and Germany split the first two matches of a very even match-up to go into Saturday even at 1-1.

Andreas Beck coming within a set of beating Fernando Verdasco might have been surprising if the Spaniard didn't have such a reputation for flightiness. Verdasco won the first set 6-0, and proceeded to largely disappear for the next hour or so. That Verdasco was able to come back in front of a mass of supporters was not unexpected, nor was Beck's complete inability to close out what would have been one of the biggest wins of his career.

The good-but-not-great tennis Tommy Robredo consistently delivers wasn't enough against Philipp Kohlschreiber, who as a shotmaker excels against a steady, backboard player like Robredo. Kohlschreiber looked the best of the four today, and definitely has to be given a shot of beating Verdasco on Sunday.

The remaining three matchups in this tie can all be considered toss-ups. Should make for an interesting next couple of days.

Davis Cup QF: Israel Stuns Russia, Leads 2-0

RUSSIA @ ISRAEL (ISRAEL LEADS 2-0)
Venue: Nokia Stadium, Tel Aviv, Israel (Indoor Hard)

Harel Levy (ISR) def. Igor Andreev (RUS) 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
Dudi Sela (ISR) def. Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) 3-6, 6-1, 6-0, 7-5

What should have been at least one easy point for Russia turned into a jaw-dropping Israeli sweep on Day 1 of their Davis Cup quarterfinal in Tel Aviv, putting the host country in the driver's seat to close out the win on Saturday, in the doubles match featuring Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram that had previously been considered their only chance to score a point.

To put it mildly, Igor Andreev, ranked #24 in the world, had absolutely no business losing to #210 Harel Levy. Andreev, though best on clay, is no hard court slouch, pushing Roger Federer to five sets in the fourth round of the US Open last year. Harel Levy, on the other hand, is a complete slouch. He hasn't finished a year inside the top 100 since 2001. The highlight of Levy's year going into this event was qualifying for Halle by beating Lukas Lacko, then immediately losing to lucky loser Lukas Lacko (try saying that five times fast) in the first round.

Mikhail Youzhny, on the other hand, has some possible excuses. He'd been out with injury for a while, and Dudi Sela had been real hot. It was a winnable match for both, but Youzhny's failure to get the victory compounds Andreev's disastrous loss.

There are definitely some questions to be asked of generally well-thought-of Russian Davis Cup Captain Shamil Tarpischev should Russia get knocked out tomorrow. Starting with where Nikolay Davydenko and Dmitry Tursunov, both solid hard courters and Davis Cup players, were that prevented them from playing. On top of the embarrassing loss to Italy for the Russian Fed Cup team back in April, a team Tarpischev also coaches, it could prove to be a pretty rough summer for him.

Davis Cup Quarterfinals Preview

The quarterfinals of the Davis Cup begin on Friday, with all four ties seemingly winnable for both sides. Three of them, surprisingly enough for July, are being held indoors. Coverage of the USA-Croatia tie will be live on Tennis Channel in the States, with streams of the other three quarterfinals likely findable somewhere on the world wide web.

Only the first two match-ups in each tie are locked in, the rest are subject to change(*).

ARGENTINA @ CZECH REPUBLIC
CEZ Arena, Ostrava, Czech Republic (Indoor Hard)

Tomas Berdych (CZE) v Juan Monaco (ARG)
Ivo Minar (CZE) v Juan Martin del Potro (ARG)
Lukas Dlouhy/Radek Stepanek (CZE) v Juan Martin del Potro/Leonardo Mayer (ARG)*
Tomas Berdych (CZE) v Juan Martin del Potro (ARG)*
Ivo Minar (CZE) v Juan Monaco (ARG)*

Nalbandian being out really weakens the Argentines, who could be in trouble against the same Czech team that upset the French in the first round. Radek Stepanek, out with a knee injury, could be an even bigger loss in singles, since he and his Czech Flag outfit usually do so well at Davis Cup. I expect del Potro to win both his singles matches, but for the Czechs to grab the other three for the win, possibly with Stepanek heroically returning for the fifth match vs. Acasuso.
Prediction: Czech Republic 3-2

USA @ CROATIA
Sportska Dvorana, Porec, Croatia (Indoor Clay)

Ivo Karlovic (CRO) v James Blake (USA)
Marin Cilic (CRO) v Mardy Fish (USA)
Ivo Karlovic/Lovro Zovko (CRO) v Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan (USA)*
Marin Cilic (CRO) v James Blake (USA)*
Ivo Karlovic (CRO) v Mardy Fish (USA)*

Even Without Andy Roddick, I think the USA has a pretty decent shot in this one if they can handle Ivo Karlovic's serve. Big "if" there. The Bryans are a lock for doubles, as always, and if Fish and Blake can handle a Karlovic serve that should be somewhat stunted on clay, it could be a big win for the United States. That said, I don't think both Blake and Fish will be able to crack Karlovic, which is what it would take since Cilic should cruise to two singles wins.
Prediction: Croatia 3-2

RUSSIA @ ISRAEL
Venue: Nokia Stadium, Tel Aviv, Israel (Indoor Hard)

Harel Levy (ISR) v Igor Andreev (RUS)
Dudi Sela (ISR) v Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)
Jonathan Erlich/Andy Ram (ISR) v Igor Kunitsyn/Marat Safin (RUS)*
Dudi Sela (ISR) v Igor Andreev (RUS)*
Harel Levy (ISR) v Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)*

On paper, this is a real routine win for the Russians. In reality, the only Russian of late who has been playing mildly consistant tennis is Igor Andreev, not known for his Davis Cup prowess. Look for Dmitry Tursunov, not listed in this initial lineup, to see action for the Russians. Russian Davis Cup Captain Shamil Tarpishev loves nothing more than trying to outmaneuver opposing coaches with last minute changes. Israel has a good doubles team in Erlich/Ram (the winners of the 2008 Australian Open Men's Doubles), but Harel Levy is a weak second singles option. Asking Sela to win two singles matches is likely too much to hope for. No matter the result, however, the crowds at Russia-Israel team tennis clashes have proven to be a lot of fun in the past, and should be again this time.
Prediction: Russia 3-2

GERMANY @ SPAIN
Venue: Plaza de Toros de Puerto Banus, Marbella (Outdoor Clay)

Fernando Verdasco (ESP) v Andreas Beck (GER)
Tommy Robredo (ESP) v Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER)
Feliciano Lopez/Fernando Verdasco (ESP) v Nicolas Kiefer/Mischa Zverev (GER)*
Fernando Verdasco (ESP) v Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER)*
Tommy Robredo (ESP) v Andreas Beck (GER)*

The match-up of Spain (minus Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer) and Germany (minus Tommy Haas) certainly leaves something to be desired. But even without each country's top player, there's a lot to look forward to in a few of these matches. Kiefer and Zverev are both considerably more comfortable on faster surfaces, which I presume is why Beck is getting the nod for singles. Kohlschreiber-Robredo is a good one that should come down to Kohlschreiber's nerves being better. Kohlschreiber-Verdasco could be a close one as well, especially if Verdasco's mind and forehand are misfiring, as they are prone to do in Davis Cup matches. The whole tie largely comes down to how well Kohlschreiber plays, and I think he'll play well, but not well enough to carry Germany all the way. Hopefully Nadal is healthy in time for the semifinal round.
Prediction: Spain 3-2

Should be a good weekend of tennis to wrap up what has otherwise been a fairly dull, hungover week to follow Wimbledon.