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 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.

They Left The Lights On For Him

I have my problems with Andy Murray, to be sure, but he does seem to embrace these big stages much more than Tim Henman ever did. During his 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win over Stanislas Wawrinka, Murray emoted all The atmosphere indoors under the artificial lights was something Wimbledon had never before seen in its 132 years, for better or for worse. I like that the big matches won't have to be suspended due to darkness anymore, but I can't say I was enamored with the Astrodome-esque feel of the indoor grass court.

Though in terms of firing up the hometown fans in the papers the next morning, Murray's post match press conference leaves something to be desired...

Q. What are your emotions right now?

ANDY MURRAY: Uhm, well, obviously great to come through. Haven't thought about the match a whole lot. We made sure, you know, I warmed down properly, saw the physio and got as much food in me as possible.
And then, you know, organizing what I'm going to do tomorrow to, you know, make sure I recover as best as I can before the next round.

Without the Nadal-Federer rematch to look forward to, the Murray run is one of the best storylines Wimbledon has going for it to be sure. Having the native son be the one to blaze uncharted territory into the night was the best organizers could have hoped for. The crowd loves him and he loves the Wimbledon crowds, and the new roof amplifies the noise fivefold.

Juan Carlos Ferrero is the softest draw of the eight quarterfinalists, so Murray and the hometown crowd should have more to celebrate come Wednesday. Murray may need the help more than he thinks, as he is only 1-3 in his previous four grand slam quarterfinals. If he does get through, Friday against Andy Roddick or Lleyton Hewitt should be a real good time.