Switzerland looks like the early favorite to win the Davis Cup this year, based on the play of Federer and Wawrinka in Melbourne. Without Djokovic, Troicki or Tipsarevic available to play singles, Serbia’s team would not be a sure bet against Antartica or Guatamala right now.
Meanwhile, Spain has a tricky date with Germany in Germany…
Philipp Kohlschreiber (Ger) – Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP)
Florian Mayer (Ger) – Feliciano Lopez (ESP)
Daniel Brands/Tommy Haas (Ger) – Fernando Verdasco/David Marrero (ESP)
Philipp Kohlschreiber (Ger) – Feliciano Lopez (ESP)
Florian Mayer (Ger) – Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP)
Spain should get out of this one. If not it will be a nightmarish Captaining debut for Carlos Moya.
***
USA vs. Great Britain at Petco Field in San Diego will be a fascinating duel.
Captain Jim Courier has chosen red clay and the Brits are Tweeting that the surface is playing fast and slippery. Isner is suddenly out with the ankle (decision made yesterday), so Donald Young will make his Davis Cup debut. Pressure will be on Querrey to step up and make sure he beats ATP #175 James Ward. If all goes as expected, and Murrays win two singles and the Bryans win doubles, it will come down to Young vs. Ward in the live fifth.
Don’t forget, Querrey is good on clay – he has made two ATP clay finals (Serbia and Houston). And Young has a win over Murray at Indian Wells a couple of years ago.
Team USA will be desperate to prevent a second year in a row early elimination.
Querrey vs. Ward
Murray vs. Young
Bryans win doubles
Querrey vs. Murray
Young vs. Ward
(of course these matchups are subject to change)
***
Australia vs. France
Hewitt and Kyrgios taking on Tsonga and Monfils in France. Thank goodness the Tennis Channel will be showing some of these matches. This will be the tie of the weekend. Hewitt, the leader of the Aussie team, has agreed to play both singles and doubles for captain Patrick Rafter. France has been quiet on the Davis Cup front in recent years but they have a juggernaut this year with Tsonga and La Monf in strong form. A problem for Captain Arnaud Clement is that Richard Gasquet has yet to distinguish himself as a reliable Davis Cup combatant. RG needs to step up and become a force.
***
This post will continue as a live discussion as First Round results come on…
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Scoop Malinowski · January 31, 2014 at 10:57 am
Kohlschreiber beat Agut and now F-Lo vs. Flo May, would love to seed that match.
Gasquet beat Kyrgios in three sets, now Hewitt is down a set to Tsonga.
Japan and Canada split singles, Kei beat Polansky 646464 and Dancevic dusted Sugita. Curiously Raonic is not playing.
Argentina vs. Italy in Mar Del Plata.
Goffin lost to Golubev l2-l0 in the fifth, Kazakhstan vs. Belgium.
Dan Markowitz · January 31, 2014 at 12:48 pm
Don’t see anyone beating Kei in Delray. He’s playing on a different level this year. I like the F-Lo Flo-May monikers.
Mitch · January 31, 2014 at 1:39 pm
Raonic is out with a foot injury. Surprised Pospisil isn’t playing singles though.
Hartt · January 31, 2014 at 2:59 pm
Pospisil is not able to play singles because of his back injury and is unlikely to play in doubles, either. The Canadian captain, in the post match interview was noncommittal but it sounded like he had to decide who to use for doubles – Dancevic played well, so that looks like the best possibility.
Scoop Malinowski · January 31, 2014 at 3:18 pm
Flo May took care of F-Lo in five, German tennis showing signs of life, up 2-0 on Spain. Tsonga dominated Hewitt. DY getting trounced by Murray down two sets. Murray has a fierce expression on his face, he wants to crush DY as thoroughly as possible. Liking this stadium set up, very nice venue.
Dan Markowitz · January 31, 2014 at 3:24 pm
It is a cool setup. Looks like they didn’t plop court in the outfield, but set up their own stands. The big question now is can DY beat Ward. According to Doogie, Ward has a lousy forehand so he’s not a good clay courter. But DY has a pretty bad backhand.
Dan Markowitz · January 31, 2014 at 3:38 pm
Ok, I’m sorry to always be barking up the steroid tree, but here you’ve got both Nadal and Murray with hair loss at a young age and back problems. Now I googled, “Does steroid use cause hair loss,” and I got this:
“However, steroid use does cause baldness. The science behind this is quite simple. dihydrotestosterone, the hormone responsible for balding, is produced with the help of male hormones. Natural levels of male hormones in the body already cause a considerable amount of balding when they’re finally utilized for the purpose of creating dihydrotestosterone.
If you increase the amount of the androgens in your body, more dihydrotestosterone would be produced. A cycle of accumulation is begun, and as long as you alter your body’s chemistry significantly, the hair loss will continue.”
HGH also supposedly causes hair loss. The back problems can be a result of taking steroids and working harder than normal and thus you have back problems.
Also, I watched Wawa’s D-Cup match, and that guy has gotten a massive chest. Now, I understand he could’ve bulked up because he was always big, but that guy’s got a Nadal chest now, maybe bigger.
Andrew Miller · January 31, 2014 at 6:50 pm
DY lost 1, 2 and 3. Needs more Davis Cup matches. Querrey’s up 2 sets/1.
JG · January 31, 2014 at 7:13 pm
Querrey lost 4th set, and I mean lost. He totally choked up, he has no intensity at all.
JG · January 31, 2014 at 7:16 pm
Looks like a deer in headlights, he needs to pull it together fast
Doogie · January 31, 2014 at 7:23 pm
Courier looked away from Q and smiled and it was a smile like:”What an idiot u are!”
Doogie · January 31, 2014 at 7:30 pm
Ward is winning it with his FH slice because Q cannot execute. Bit like Fabio did at AO
Dan Markowitz · January 31, 2014 at 7:44 pm
Alright, here’s what I do if I run the USTA, I fire Courier and hire Brad Gilbert. I convince Q-ball to move to Bolivia. I never ever play on red clay again. Who’s the numbskull who came up with that brilliant call? Have Q-ball and Izzie ever gotten to the second week of the French?
Doogie · January 31, 2014 at 7:46 pm
Dont forget to burn down the USTA house! Like they burn money for coaches aso.
Doogie · January 31, 2014 at 7:53 pm
@scoop
just found your post after Q beat Gulbis:
“Querrey is a dangeous player when he’s at his best and confident though he’s mainly remembered (especially by Dan) for his bad losses and failures at majors.”
If he is not “on” he can lose to everyone. Anyway he has no soft hands and no talent. Just a hardhitter but as u wrote dangerous when he is on.
Scoop Malinowski · January 31, 2014 at 8:02 pm
Sam had no fire today, no passion no fight. It’s like he thought it was in the bag and when Ward got hot and made it a match, he crumbled like a crumb cake. Sam was not in warrior Samurai mode, like Murray was vs. Young. Devastating loss by Sam, another performance where we know he can play far better. Ward wanted it much more. Even if Sam survived today, I think Ward would beat Young on Sunday. USA mens Tennis is in a shambles. Well done by GB
Doogie · January 31, 2014 at 8:08 pm
@ scoop : True and good analyse.
The disappointed thing:
Q needs a warrior mode to beat Ward at home (!!)
Btw:
I believe Young would win vs Ward but we will never know 🙁
Doogie · January 31, 2014 at 8:16 pm
@danM
Of course Rafa, Murray and Nole use doping. I like it that u bark up the steroid tree because it is part of sports.
Lendl grew up behind the iron wall where doping was on practice list for every sport and no1 did controll it. I dont believe he does not know how to build up for body.
Scoop Malinowski · January 31, 2014 at 8:16 pm
Doogie, thanks, Sam has so much talent, but not enough emotion or fire. Wawrinka used to play similarly to Querrey, but in recent years he has found a way to tap into his emotional adrenaline resources. I believe Sam can still find that energy source inside him or try to manufacture it. I would have thought Courier, one of the most intense competitors in tennis history, could have ignited Sam’s fire somehow some way. Maybe it’s just not possible though. As the match was slipping away, I couldn’t help but think that if Courier took the racquet from Sam down 0-3 in the fifth he could have pulled out the win. Credit to Ward though, he hung in there and gutted out a heroic win.
Doogie · January 31, 2014 at 8:24 pm
U have another inpretation of talent but surely we are on same page.
He has talent in kind of racquet head speed, fast hand, good swinging.
What I meant: He cannot bring variety to his game, f.e. slices, dropshots, short cross balls because he does not has soft hands. He tried to find Wards, due to this he played lot of BH longline (in middle of court not down the line) but he missed this easy shot long often. It is not HIS game and he has probleme to adapt his gameplan.
Scoop Malinowski · January 31, 2014 at 8:33 pm
One dimensional, predictable player, the same patterns. Like most of the USA players. Boy, I had lunch today with a former USTA coach and former ATP player and some of the things he told me about the USTA system were downright astonishing. Such as top leaders of the USTA, making a rare visit to Boca, not even knowing who some of the elite top teens were when seeing them in person. “Who’s that?” The coach could not believe it. Thought he was being Punk’d. Let’s just say there’s room for some improving the system lol.
Dan Markowitz · January 31, 2014 at 8:36 pm
Doogie,
I do think the top guys, most of them, are taking PED’s, but why are you so sure? What makes you convinced they’re all on steroids and why not add Fed to your list?
Doogie · January 31, 2014 at 11:57 pm
There are so many indications everyone who does not close his eyes, should/can see it.
Doping is so integrated in sports. EVERY east german sportsman/woman used some (anablic) methods to increase their performances. And this is no rumour or so: This is proven. So every olimpic east german sportsman was doped. Some years ago some of them wanted to take their coaches to court because they did not knew what they got from the doctors but somehow it never went to court. The same doctors and coaches became after wall falling – west german jobs – so they did the same what they have done before. Politcs are involved in it too because they want medails at the Olympic Games.
To win medails also US sportsmen (and all other) have to take the them otherways they have NO chance to even reach a final.
Lot of US athlets confirmed this.
How do u believe China has great success??
Back to tennis:
Nole could not play a best of 5 match some years ago – and now he is a beast?? Impossible imo.
Murray has strenghten his body, everyone can see it (after he started to work with Lendl)
Rafas Uncle is a Ex soccer player on highest level – soccer players use some dopings too – and his body was so early on highest level. Impossible for a young kid.
All in all their tennis success is based on their fitness. If u watch 2 “normal” tennis players (from 50th to 100th) they get tired on a hard 3setter. How u ever seen Rafa getting tired or Nole now. Remember last year AO (Wawrinka match and then final).
Feds game is NOT based on running opponents down, so I can imagine he does not and never has used illegal methods – just my opinion AND in his matches I can see some tiredness. His footwork sometimes get slower. And hey, he is best ever played tennis – Also he gets tired.
To my point “not normal”. The whole world talked about Muster how he runs down his opponents and all said he is a beast. And yes he was a beast due to – u know it.
Doogie · February 1, 2014 at 12:04 am
I meant from 5th to 100th
Gaurang · February 1, 2014 at 1:12 am
If you guys think that taking drugs is common, then let’s assume all players take it, and then forget about it. After all it will be a level field., that’s what matters.
loreley · February 1, 2014 at 3:04 am
Probably it was the pressure that killed Querrey.
Ward can be dangerous like all the Challenger guys. They play these kind of matches if it were the last thing they have to do in the world.
Doping is cheating.
Murray was strong build before he worked with Lendl. But he is massive in contrast to his brother Jamie. His brother still has his full hair.
How important was it for Murray to win Wimbledon?
Dan markowitz · February 1, 2014 at 6:58 am
Well there’s doping and then there’s doping. Just like I go out and buy a Honda and the other guy buys a Porsche. It’s not a level playing field bc one guy gets better drugs than the rest. Look, when I was writing the book w Spadea we talked steroids and he never came out and said, “I never took the stuff period.” And he never said specifically that this guy took it, although he was suspicious of the Argentines. So I think a lot of it is still in the dark. But yes, you look at the Murray brithers, and Andy is jacked while Jaime looks like a pop singer. I know I’ve lifted a lot more weights than my brother and our body types don’t differ that much.
Scoop Malinowski · February 1, 2014 at 8:13 am
Did anyone catch Courier and Sam laughing at the chairs early in the match, I think it was around43 in the second set. Not sure what they were laughing smiling about, could have been anything, but it also could have been that they were not taking Ward seriously and thought the match was in the bag. Even Gimelstob on the Tennis Channel commentating was pracftically mocking the pick of Ward to play by Capn Smith. Surely Ward and the Brits must have saw this laughing by Courier and Q and surely it lit a fire.
Scoop Malinowski · February 1, 2014 at 8:17 am
Kyrgios is a young lion in the making, loved his effort vs. Gasquet, first set tiebreaker but then Richie found his groove and dominated. I like how Gilles Simon was in the house though he’s not on the French roster this time – the French players all support each other. Americans not on the team do not show up and support. Nor do all the USTA figures. Isner texting away during the Querrey match looked bad. Texting by any USA team member during a live match should be strictly prohibited. Didn’t see the Bryan Brothers supporting Young or Querrey yesterday on the USA bench. Guess they had something better to do. And people wonder why fans and the media don’t take Savis Cup so seriously in the USA.
Scoop Malinowski · February 1, 2014 at 8:56 am
Right now Hewitt is singlehandedly carrying Australia in the doubles. Somehow he’s kept Guccione in the doubles and they just took the first set 75 fro Tsongasquet, typical Hewitt magic. Big serves, return winners, volleys, somehow he willed Gootch to hang in there in the crunch and Gootch came up with some shots too, a backhand winner int he corner and a lob to stymie Jo. Hewitt is one of the most amazing competitors I’ve ever seen. Down 0-2 in France, Hewitt still believes and won’t give an inch. It’s a one man show, what a match. And the Aussie bench are perfectly into it, supporting, NO TEXTING, and the Aussie fans are also perfect. What a treat to watch this Hewitt display of fight.
Dan Markowitz · February 1, 2014 at 8:59 am
Hewitt is an amazing character, such passion and he’s quite a fine doubles player. This French team is stacked, wonder why they’re playing Gasquet/Tsonga at doubles when they have Benneteau and Monfils on bench. But this French team could go all the way. With the exception of Fed and Wawa, they’ve got the best singles duo of any nation now playing Davis Cup.
Nice to see all the French legends out there watching D-Cup.
Scoop Malinowski · February 1, 2014 at 10:32 am
Seems the atmosphere in France is a whole lot livelier and animated than in Petco Park.
loreley · February 1, 2014 at 10:45 am
Germany vs. Spain 3-0 😉
Scoop Malinowski · February 1, 2014 at 10:59 am
Huge result for Germany tennis. Nightmare start for Charley Moya captaincy for Spanish Armada.
Dan markowitz · February 1, 2014 at 11:37 am
He’s playing F-Lo and Verdasco at singles. Kohly and Mayer are good, but not top floor.
loreley · February 1, 2014 at 12:33 pm
Batista Agut was the weakest link. I have no clue why Moya did choose him for hardcourt indoor.
Mayer had a tough 5-set-match against Lopez & the doubles was very tight too.
Bryan · February 1, 2014 at 3:31 pm
“it will come down to Young vs. Ward in the live fifth.”
If so we could be in trouble. Ward doesn’t have much firepower but he was tricky against Sam. He won points on that weird slice backhand with side spin repeatedly.
Bryan · February 1, 2014 at 3:34 pm
“Sam had no fire today, no passion no fight. It’s like he thought it was in the bag and when Ward got hot and made it a match, he crumbled like a crumb cake.”
True. Sam had no fire at all and even when he had Ward in trouble did nothing to finish him off. No killer instinct. Wish this passive version showed up for the Gulbis match at the AO instead of the crazy serving machine.
Scoop Malinowski · February 1, 2014 at 5:45 pm
Sam is the type of player who can come out tomorrow and play the match of his life and upset Andy. Longshot but I would not put it past Sam, he has beaten Andy before in the LA final a few years ago. Hope Capn Courier can work his motivational magic and light the fire in Smooth Sam.
Andrew Miller · February 1, 2014 at 6:49 pm
Agree with Scoop. Courier’s got to wake Sam up. This year’s Australian Open convinced me – playing without emotion = no chance at the “V”
Scoop Malinowski · February 1, 2014 at 7:11 pm
Sam’s got to tap into his emotional energy and adrenaline sources. Look at Stan, he was a normal player. Since becoming a fist pumper and Cmon Yeller last year, he is now a Grand Slam title winner. Just imagine Hewitt playing with no emotion or fire…he’d be Mike Russell or Bogomolov. Sam’s only hope is to become a fiery beast. Maybe this horrific loss to Ward will ignite something in him, like Sampras said his US Open loss to Edberg sparked something in him. But then again Sam might just be happy as a middle of the pack Spadea level player, no shame in that, maybe Dan will do a book with Sam someday too 🙂
Scoop Malinowski · February 1, 2014 at 7:18 pm
On a sidenote, I know the power of being a Come On Yeller. Since starting serious tennis in 96 I always yelled it. This was three years before Hewitt emerged. I had to use emotions because I never had a lesson in my life and wasn’t really a tennis player, in the beginning I was just an athlete in good shape, no weapons, no serve, no net game, just playing his ass off all heart and fight. Playing against experienced players with weapons I was at a handicap and emotional energy helped me raise my level to battle them. I won my first league 3.5 in my first year of a local league. The emotions and using adrenaline and Come Ons made all the difference. Then Hewitt came around a couple years later and I took a liking to his style because I saw myself in him. Mixed my game with Hewitt and Rios. The most vivid example I can say is about ten years ago I played a tournament match, was losing 3-5 first set. The opponent did a couple of things to annoy me and I got fired up to the hilt, yelling come ons, amped up my intensity level big time. Guess what? I didn’t lose another game, won the match 75 60, also won the tournament. It’s all about emotions, they can make the difference. It’s who wants it more. Expressing and releasing Emotional energy makes you play better it really does, it’s a very valuable tool for a tennis player. Serena Maria Hewitt Nadal Muster Connors are the best examples. So is Todd Martin from that one match vs. Moya at US Open.
Gaurang · February 2, 2014 at 3:33 am
That LA final win over Murray was when Querrey used to actually play well. I so hope those times can come back. Looking at his ranking history — he keeps behaving like a pendulum — up and down, up and down, …. 🙂
I think the loss against Ward must have kicked his butt — after all, this was not just a match he lost for himself, he lost for the country — and also when everybody expected him to win. Also, when he was the best player in the team. This must have hit him. I sure hope so. He cannot take it easy. He needs to dig out his best. He does not have as many years — earlier he probably used to justify himself by thinking he was a few years younger than John (Isner), his buddy — but now he is already 26 — has only a couple of his best years left.
I hope that Courier shows him extreme disappointment after this loss to Ward — and I hope that “wakes” him up.
(its not that he is not trying hard — but as everybody has said — he needs to get the passion quotient up — he needs to really want the win, and work hard for it. I think he is already satisfied by the 5 million prize he has won by this age of 26 — surely his goal for his sport should be higher… “If your friend can make it to top 10, why NOT YOU!!!!!”)
Scoop Malinowski · February 2, 2014 at 8:32 am
Will be very intersting to see how Sam responds to his heartbreaking loss to Ward Gaurang, we’re going to learn a lot about Sam today.
Doogie · February 2, 2014 at 11:35 am
Murray just needs to slice the balls to Q. Q will have no answers to this.
Murray will outplay him with his touch.
gustarhymes · February 2, 2014 at 2:14 pm
What was Courier thinking put this tie on clay!
Andy Murray is well trained on clay and made the French Open semis. Sam won a title on clay unlike Murray, but it was Houston; enough said about the quality of the tournament.
Granted Sam should have won against Ward.
This is a disaster. American need to play more on red clay in their formative years.
gusta
Bryan · February 2, 2014 at 3:39 pm
“I think the loss against Ward must have kicked his butt — after all, this was not just a match he lost for himself, he lost for the country — and also when everybody expected him to win. Also, when he was the best player in the team.”
All true. I don’t think that humiliating loss will set a fire under Sam. He’s an emotional basketcase and for all we know his lack of emotion Friday could’ve been due to pharmaceutical drugs. He never acknowledged what his health ailments were besides the heart issue, but I believe he was having panic attacks that he never admitted publicly. Read between the lines of many of last year’s reports, it was hinted but not stated.
Scoop Malinowski · February 2, 2014 at 4:00 pm
What a second set by SAM. Forehand winner to win the tiebreak then the arm wave to get the fans up. Courier had to implore the USA bench to get louder and more vocal for Sam during the tiebreak. US bench has got to be more into the match than to be scolded by the captain to be more involved. They listened and it made a DIFFERENCE. They can’t be sitting there texting or like they are entitled to just sit there front row. CARE ABOUT YOUR TEAMMATE. Look at those Aussie fans every points LETS GO AUSSIE LETS GO. Sam needs that now. What a set by Sam, once again he shows a flash of what a great player he can be. I hope the Bryans are out there supporting and cheering Sam on. If they are not that is absolutely inexcusable. Knowles just said, “I have never seen Sam show that type of emotion that he showed at the end of that set. It allows him to free his body and hit his shots.”
Gaurang · February 3, 2014 at 4:50 am
The choice of clay is not that bad a choice I think. Both Isner and Querrey play decently well on it — and Murray has recently improved his play, but definitely does not play his best on clay. If Isner would have been available, then US could have won, who knows…