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.

Rajeev Ram (Who?) Achieves Newport Double

Probably the luckiest lucky loser ever, American Rajeev Ram made the most of his last minute entry into the Newport singles draw by taking home the ATP 250 title, defeating Sam Querrey 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-3. As if that wasn't enough for the 181st ranked player in the world, he also won the doubles title in a super tiebreak with partner Jordan Kerr.

Crazily enough, Ram probably should have won this match more easily than he did, as he served for the first set, playing a pretty tight game to allow Querrey to break back and force the tiebreaker he eventually won. But Ram rallied valiantly in the second, and kept momentum through the third, leaving the always-chipper Querrey, an enormous favorite to win this final, shell-shocked.

In Sam's defense, I don't think anyone could have anticipated how well Ram would play today. Ram had not faced a player inside the top 100 on his way to the final, so it would have been only natural for a top fifty player like the third-seeded Querrey to consider him a push over.

Looking back at the ATP title winners of 2009, no previous champion comes anywhere near close to the longshot winner Ram is. Ram is the first lucky loser to win an ATP title since Sergiy Stakhovsky won Zagreb in 2007.

Hopefully the US Open (and some of the lead up tournaments) will reward Ram, who will still be well outside the top 100, with some well deserved wild cards. It's going to be interesting to see how Ram follows up this dream of a week.

Ram Chews Up Grass, Sets Up First All-American ATP Final of 2009

When the singles draw for Newport came out, few predicted Rajeev Ram to make the final. For starters, Ram wasn't even in the draw. Ram, ranked a lowly #181 in the world, only got in after Mardy Fish was summoned to Croatia to fill in for Andy Roddick.

But he has certainly made the most of the opportunity, winning four matches to make his first ATP final, which came only a couple days after his first ATP semifinal and first ATP quarterfinal.

Not bad for a player who last week couldn't even make the quarterfinals of the Winnetka, Illinois challenger.

Not only did Ram reach an unlikely singles final, he's also made it to the doubles final as well, partnering Australia'sJordan Kerr for the first time.

Ram beat Olivier Rochus convincingly in the semifinal, by the score of 6-3, 6-4. Ram has only dropped one set in the tournament, to Jesse Levine in his quarterfinal. Ram has avoided facing an opponent inside the top 100 through his first four matches in the weak Newport draw, so it could be a rude awakening in the final.

Ram faces Sam Querrey in the final, who upset two-time defending champion Fabrice Santoro in straight sets 6-3, 7-6(2). Querrey's serve took away chances for Santoro to get any of his trademark magic started, and Querrey's one break was the only one of the match.

The Newport final is the first All-American final of 2009, and should be a good chance for Querrey to pick up his second career title.

Ram has to be happy with what he's already achieved, which is good because chances are slim he wins another match this week. All the same, a nice story for one of the many hundreds of players who work tirelessly on the lower circuits and don't come close to a chance like this too often in their lifetimes.

Fabrice Santoro Still Has Some Tricks Up His Sleeve

Two-time Newport defending champion and second seed Fabrice Santoro still knows how to saw the rain-soaked Newport draw in half.

The aging French player known as "The Magician" used his trade mark slicing angles and trick shots--as well as his underrated endurance--to win two back-to-back matches on Friday in Rhode Island. He won both his third round and quarterfinal matches in straight (though long) sets, over Taylor Dent and Nicholas Mahut, respectively. Dent and Mahut are both players who play their best tennis on the grass, so it's an impressive pair of victories in what is largely a soft Newport field.

Santoro, who will retire at the end of this season at the age of 37, was the highest ranked player (#34) left in the draw after top-seed Mardy Fish pulled out to fill in for Andy Roddick in Croatia. Santoro will face the second highest seed remaining in the semifinal, #3 American Sam Querrey.

While the bottom half of the draw is set to produce a decidedly impressive finalist, Fish's withdrawal has left the top half in shambles. #120 Olivier Rochus will face #181 Rajeev Ram in a semifinal that boasts a mean ranking outside the top 150.

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I'm guessing tickets may still be available.