Tennis Prose




Apr/13

5

Davis Cup Weekend Live Discussion

P1010949
USA in trouble vs. Serbia, Djokovic chopped down Isner in three and now Troicki is up in the third set vs. Querrey. Sam was making far too many errors but found his consistency in the fourth set to force a fifth.

A couple of observations – the Serbians seem more united on the bench and are giving Troicki superior support and fist pumps. They seem to want it more. Isner and coach Jay Berger are on the US bench but where are the Bryan Brothers? The USA bench seems half full, two kids (hitting partners) seem to be there hanging out. I don’t like the vibe on the USA bench compared to Serbia’s.

The TV cameras show a lot of Djokovic and Courier and the Serbian captain but none of Isner though I think I saw him more up toward the service line.

Boise crowd is really into this though and they are lifting Sam. USA desperately needs Sam to win and level the tie at one.

Think I spotted Wayne Bryan and Andy Roddick’s mom in the crowd.

26 comments

  • Steve · April 6, 2013 at 12:44 am

    The French as battling Argentina without Gasquet.

    Looks like Italy & Canada are in a real battle.

  • Scoop Malinowski · April 6, 2013 at 8:21 am

    Did Gasquet bail out of the heat of Davis Cup battle like he allegedly did vs. USA a few years ago? He seemed clearly heatlhy vs. Murray though the commentators were talking about his ankle but it looked fine. Nice win by Querrey vs. Troicki, he outcooled him in the end. Crowd was excellent for USA. You have to like Isner’s chances vs. Troicki if the Bs win dubs.

  • Scoop Malinowski · April 6, 2013 at 9:12 am

    Out of World Group play, 16 yr old Garin of Chile lost to Ecuadorian veteran. Hewitt and Ebden won a five setter in doubles vs. Uzbekistan to put Australia up 2-1, Tomic won in singles vs a guy I never heard of and Istomin beat Matosevic. Donskoy and Tursunov won five setters for Russia vs. GBritain.

  • Steve · April 6, 2013 at 2:05 pm

    Silent ban??? HA! No. Probably just wanted a break.

  • Scoop Malinowski · April 6, 2013 at 4:06 pm

    What? The Bryans lost the first set? Are you kidding me?

  • Dan Markowitz · April 6, 2013 at 5:04 pm

    No, Scoop, they’ve lost the first two sets now. The loss against Brazil was surprising, but they’d had a losing record against that team. If they lose to this Serbian team, it would be very surprising.

    We know Zimonjic is a great doubles player, but Bozoljac I don’t recall being ever a top doubles player. The Serbs are just serving the Bryans off the court. And this Zimonjic looks like the best player on the court.

    How much confidence do you have in Querrey against Nole? Do you notice that with Ian Eagle announcing, Gimelstob is a lot more interesting and manageable. I feel like Brent Haber is like having a shill for the American team and I find him tough to take because he tries to use his voice like he’s MCing a match and not announcing it.

  • Dan Markowitz · April 6, 2013 at 5:12 pm

    I know we’ve discussed this before, but is it not ridiculous that Courier is wearing a suit out there? Who does he think he is, Pat Riley. I mean, where’s the precedent? When has a tennis coach, especially Davis Cup, ever wore a suit when he’s on the court? I think it draws attention away from the players and onto him.

    Also, has Bozoljac ever had success as a doubles player? Actually, I’ll answer my own question. The guy is ranked, get this, No. 1150 in the world!! And his career high doubles ranking is No. 122! Is that sick?!!

    Come on, if the Serbs pull off this upset, this would be the biggest doubles upset in the history of the sport! A guy ranked No. 1150, who’s never been in the top 100 doubles, is beating the top doubles team in the world and the history of the sport!

    Did I say how much I’m pleased not to hear Brent Haber babbling on and opening up the floodgates for Gimel to babble himself?

  • Steve · April 6, 2013 at 9:23 pm

    I don’t mind the suit. A touch of class is welcome.

  • Steve · April 6, 2013 at 9:28 pm

    Doubles is the most bizarre pro sport in the world. I can’t pretend they r the best.

  • Scoop Malinowski · April 6, 2013 at 9:48 pm

    Wow. Just wow. Zimo and Ilya played the match of their lives, Zimo said it was his best performance of his career. These guys seemed to be playing for something more. Did you see the whole Serb contingent backing their bench? Behind Courier it was half empty, where was Iz and Q? The US team did not seem as unified and supportive. Djokovic was there but he left in the third and they lost the third set. I can’t believe they held on and won that fifth set vs. the Bryans. It happened again in Davis Cup…anything can happen in any match. But I don’t see Q beating Djokovic tomorrow, even if the Bryans and Isner are supporting him. I really think it’s one of the problems of the US team that needs to be addressed, US players do not support other US players. I saw it in Miami, Q had no one, no other US players supporting him vs. Berd. But in Delray I did see Q watching and supporting Sock against Berankis. And in Miami I did see Sloane Stephens supporting Sock vs. Ginepri. It was appalling to see the US bench half full behind Courier. Especially when the Serbian bench was completely packed. And about Courier’s suit, I like it. I think it shows how much he respects the Davis Cup. Try looking at it that way. He’s not grandstanding, it never was Courier’s style to grandstand.

  • Scoop Malinowski · April 6, 2013 at 9:52 pm

    Dan, Bozoljac – not gonna call him Bozo, not after that performance today – has six career ATP doubles match wins, according to a stat mentioned on the telecast. Can you believe that? And this guy plays the match of his life to beat the Bryans? Beyond incredible. This was something a lot more than just a tennis match for the Serbians. Perhaps there was inspiration from when the US horrically bombed Serbia under Clinton? Also, this goes to show you just how many talented players there are out there capable of playing such high quality tennis. Remember Jerome Haehnel who beat Agassi at the French? Olivier Mutis? Jaime Yzaga? Vladimir Volchkov who made semis at Wimbledon as a qualifier?

  • Harold · April 7, 2013 at 12:10 pm

    Cant believe the Argy’s didn’t sub Nalby for the 5th rubber against Simon.

    Always nice to see a mention of Voltchkov, he trained at the club I played at in Brooklyn the years he was 14 and 15..good kid..Was he a qualifier? He won Junior Wimbledon, thought that might have gotten him a Wildcard..Don’t remember..

    Has been hanging around in the Sharapova camp the last few years,

  • The truth. · April 7, 2013 at 1:27 pm

    Exactly Scoop, that’s the reason for their motivation. USA bombarded us for no reason, have killed around 2 thousands civilians and destroyed our bridges and buildings. They used depleted uranium, which is forbidden in all war conventions. And now and last 10 years , thousands of people are dying from cancer because of that. After all of that ,now they are taking our sacred land Kosovo, where our ancestors have lived for thousands of years and giving it to Albanians, formally, but all of us know it’s territory under US.

  • Steve · April 7, 2013 at 2:56 pm

    Totally agree Harold. It’s curious that Argentina keeps Nalby just on doubles. Esp. when he seems more passionate about Davis Cup than anything else.

    Tsonga delivered.

  • Harold · April 7, 2013 at 3:53 pm

    Guess the Captain knew what he was doing…Arg. advances

  • Scoop Malinowski · April 7, 2013 at 4:56 pm

    It was for a reason The Truth, but nefarious evil reasons. Please just understand it was not the American people who wanted those attacks to happen but the despicable monsters who occupy and control our government. But enough about politics/religion, this is tennis. As an American, I am proud of our great champions like the Bryans, Jim Courier and future champs Sam Querrey and John Isner but heartfelt congratulations and respect to the Serbian team and Novak Djokovic.

  • Scoop Malinowski · April 7, 2013 at 4:59 pm

    Steve; Nalbandian is a shell of himself, the word in Argentina that I got in Miami from a journalist is that Nalb can only play a set or two sets of top tennis in singles. He doesn’t have the mojo anymore to play 3 out of 5. It’s too bad Gasquet did not play instead of Simon. But it’s been said Gasquet does not like the intense pressure of playing road Davis Cup ties. This is a flaw he must overcome if he wants to take it to the next level.

  • Steve · April 7, 2013 at 5:55 pm

    Berlocq is a good player but it’s not like Simon is bad. He could have won. Congrats to Argentina. Hopefully they will get their first Davis Cup championship.

    France has won many times so it’s all good.

  • Scoop Malinowski · April 7, 2013 at 6:29 pm

    Berlocq is a tough player, good enough to make the cover of Revista Grip, the top mag in Argentina – an Andrew Ilie shirt rip off after Davis Cup heroics. Certain players seem to play by far their best tennis in Davis Cup. Berlocq, Youzhny, Lopez, Verdasco, Troicki, Hrbaty, Stepanek, Isner, etc. While some seem to play beneath their best level – now we’re not gonna name any names about this Steve : )

  • Dan Markowitz · April 7, 2013 at 6:42 pm

    Without debating politics here, there were plenty of reasons why NATO not just the U.S. bombed Belgrade. I don’t believe in war and I’m very sorry to hear about the after effects of the bombing, but NATO felt it had to step in and I wouldn’t call the American government, not the current one or the Clinton Administration that was in power during the Belgrade bombing, despicable. There’s t wo sidles two sides to every story as well as every war.

    I don’t know who won Querrey v Djokovic today, but Querrey looked to be playing well, but he doesn’t knock out big opponents even when they sprain their ankles early in the match.

  • Scoop Malinowski · April 7, 2013 at 7:17 pm

    Normally we won’t talk politics but I believe it was a factor in this tie. Dan, there are actually three sides to every story, one side, the other – and the truth. Did Serbia have WMDs? Oh that’s right, cough, no, that was Iraq who supposedly had them our gubbermint and media kept on telling us night in and night out. Never did find dem darn WMDs did we. Q put up a brave fight but nobody was gonna beat Djokovic today, not Sampras, Agassi, Courier, Roddick, nobody. Djokovic is the #1 kingpin of the sport and he showed it today, especially in the final set.

  • Steve · April 7, 2013 at 8:36 pm

    Scoop, for the record, one of Gasquet’s best matches was in Davis Cup but it was quite a while ago against Hass.

  • Scoop Malinowski · April 8, 2013 at 8:37 am

    Steve; More recently Gasquet was supposed to play against USA in USA a couple of years ago and the word I heard was he had to be pulled because of a case of stage fright. He just flat out chickened out. At least that’s what I heard.

  • Steve · April 8, 2013 at 8:54 am

    I know that story. It did seem he didn’t want to play Roddick on a fast indoor court.

  • Scoop Malinowski · April 8, 2013 at 8:59 am

    But he beat Roddick at Wimbledon down two sets 46 46 76 76 86, which I think is the best win of his career, he made SF of Wimbledon that year (07). He should have given it a go. Did you ever see his French Open mixed final with Golovin when he was just 18? That must have been a fun match to see.

  • Steve · April 8, 2013 at 10:57 am

    No but he is a slam champion which is always nice to have on the resume.

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