Davis Cup

[Moxie]

Here are the matches for this weekend...Home teams listed first:

Australia v. Czech Republic - Kyrgios is in; Berdych is out
Croatia v. Spain - No Cilic, No Rafa; but the Spanish team is strong
Germany v. Belgium - German team very strong; No Goffin for the Belgians
USA v. Switzerland - Strong US team; No Roger, no Stan for the Swiss
Argentina v. Italy - No Delpo; this should be close...Italy team is probably better, but ARG has home court
Japan v. France - No Kei; No Gael or JoWil, but French team is much stronger
Canada v. Great Britain - No Milos; No Andy
Serbia v. Russia - Djokovic is playing, backed by some good players

I think the most competitive will be Argentina/Italy and Canada/Great Britain

 

[mrzz]

Last year the Swiss B team went to the fifth match against Belgium, so they may give a bit of trouble again, even if US is still the heavy favorite. Italy the favorite on paper, yes, but the Argentinians fight as hell, and I hope Fognini is playing. Than it is two guaranteed points to my hermanos over the land of my ancestors, including first generation... I root for Argentinians in tennis.

Davis cup will have to deal for a while with the absence of big names. All top players already got their titles, but to me at least Davis cup is fun anyway. In fact, the one thing I don´t like about the format is that it is still possible to a one man team to win a tie. Spain has had the biggest depth for years and it has not given them much results lately.

 

[Tennisproguru.com]

what I do not understand is Berdych absence. Czechs play in Australia, so no extensive travelling after Australian Open, but Tomas choose skiing (at least according to pictures on his twitter). With his absence, Czech are let to play with Vesely and Satral in singles, as Radek "my hero" Stepanek is too old to play three days in a row.

 

[Moxie]

what I do not understand is Berdych absence. Czechs play in Australia, so no extensive travelling after Australian Open, but Tomas choose skiing (at least according to pictures on his twitter). With his absence, Czech are let to play with Vesely and Satral in singles, as Radek "my hero" Stepanek is too old to play three days in a row.

That's a good point, about him already being in Australia. And it looks like he could still use the match play, after his break with illness.

 

[DarthFed]

Interested to see how Djokovic does. It's a different situation but the Davis Cup success at the end of 2010 helped propel him into his great 2011 season. He needs something to kickstart him after what has been a very bad 7 months.

 

[Moxie]

Interested to see how Djokovic does. It's a different situation but the Davis Cup success at the end of 2010 helped propel him into his great 2011 season. He needs something to kickstart him after what has been a very bad 7 months.

I don't think the first round has anything like the effect of a final, though he may find playing in front of his old hometown fans energizing.

 

[Moxie]

Last year the Swiss B team went to the fifth match against Belgium, so they may give a bit of trouble again, even if US is still the heavy favorite. Italy the favorite on paper, yes, but the Argentinians fight as hell, and I hope Fognini is playing. Than it is two guaranteed points to my hermanos over the land of my ancestors, including first generation... I root for Argentinians in tennis.

Davis cup will have to deal for a while with the absence of big names. All top players already got their titles, but to me at least Davis cup is fun anyway. In fact, the one thing I don´t like about the format is that it is still possible to a one man team to win a tie. Spain has had the biggest depth for years and it has not given them much results lately.

The Fabulous One is in. For Italy: Fabio, Seppi, Lorenzi, Bolelli; For Argentina: Schwartzman, Berlocq, Pella, L. Mayer. I agree the Italians are a bit better, but Argentina is home court. I think it could go either way.

As for Spain, they have won 4 times in the past 16 years, so not so bad, and their squad is aging. But if I get your point about one man winning the tie, though I think it's more usually two, minimum. What would you change?

 

[DarthFed]

I don't think the first round has anything like the effect of a final, though he may find playing in front of his old hometown fans energizing.

Yes, and that's what I'm getting at. Maybe even something small can help bring the joy back in playing.

 

[mrzz]

The Fabulous One is in. For Italy: Fabio, Seppi, Lorenzi, Bolelli; For Argentina: Schwartzman, Berlocq, Pella, L. Mayer. I agree the Italians are a bit better, but Argentina is home court. I think it could go either way.

As for Spain, they have won 4 times in the past 16 years, so not so bad, and their squad is aging. But if I get your point about one man winning the tie, though I think it's more usually two, minimum. What would you change?

I expect Argentina to fight trough this, but Seppi is a fine serious player and might spoil the party.

I checked and I was in fact with too much of a short memory regarding Spain and the Davis Cup. Good on them that they won so much, it is only fair, the only other team which has that kind of depth is France (which I should have used on my initial argument), as France only has a few finals to show up for.

Of course that depth pays off, at least it means that captains have choices and are able to deal better with injuries and withdraws. But I would rather have something like 4 different players for the 4 singles matches, or at least that the singles players cannot enter the doubles events, or to limit the participation of a player to the maximum of two rubbers. You got the idea, something to emphasize the team side of it. It would have been a feast of SpainxFrance in this way, but it would have been quite fair, in fact (even if Serbia in 2010 was a helluva team, maybe the only one who could have spoiled the party).

 

[Moxie]

Yes, and that's what I'm getting at. Maybe even something small can help bring the joy back in playing.

Yeah, why not? I've always been a believer in a "Davis Cup effect."

 

[Carol]

I see Spain has a really good group it doesn't matter the age and less playing so good the doubles like both Lopez and Carreno (25 years old) and this last one and Bautista (28 years old) playing singles. I think this group are going to do much better than these last past years

 

[Moxie]

I expect Argentina to fight trough this, but Seppi is a fine serious player and might spoil the party.

I checked and I was in fact with too much of a short memory regarding Spain and the Davis Cup. Good on them that they won so much, it is only fair, the only other team which has that kind of depth is France (which I should have used on my initial argument), as France only has a few finals to show up for.

Of course that depth pays off, at least it means that captains have choices and are able to deal better with injuries and withdraws. But I would rather have something like 4 different players for the 4 singles matches, or at least that the singles players cannot enter the doubles events, or to limit the participation of a player to the maximum of two rubbers. You got the idea, something to emphasize the team side of it. It would have been a feast of SpainxFrance in this way, but it would have been quite fair, in fact (even if Serbia in 2010 was a helluva team, maybe the only one who could have spoiled the party).

I've given your theory as to changes some thought, and here are my qualms: mostly because they would favor the strongest tennis countries. The tennis power-houses would always win, and that would be boring. One thing I like about DC is that it gives a chance for lesser players to shine. If a country has 2 players in the top 50, they could still be in the World Group, even if there 3 and 4 are well out of the top 100. There will always be ties where the top players don't play, so I would say it's best to just let each team fight the best they can, and have the captains make their choices, which is part of the game, as well.

 

[Tennisproguru.com]

That's a good point, about him already being in Australia. And it looks like he could still use the match play, after his break with illness.

well, he choose rest and Czechs are loosing 0-2 after first day .. there are the time when they won Davis Cup twice

 

[mrzz]

I've given your theory as to changes some thought, and here are my qualms: mostly because they would favor the strongest tennis countries. The tennis power-houses would always win, and that would be boring. One thing I like about DC is that it gives a chance for lesser players to shine. If a country has 2 players in the top 50, they could still be in the World Group, even if there 3 and 4 are well out of the top 100. There will always be ties where the top players don't play, so I would say it's best to just let each team fight the best they can, and have the captains make their choices, which is part of the game, as well.

But that´s the whole point: Davis Cup is predictable. The powerhouses don´t always win because the top players don´t commit, so what you more than often have is that the team who wins is the team with the bigger player who actually commits to it. It would become unpredictable if all the top guys would play, but they don´t.

I agree that the absence of top players gives lesser ranked players a chance to surprise people, and they often do. But what annoys me is that, given they are there just because the top guys are absent, there is a feeling of less value in the ties. "Oh, they beat Switzerland, but without Federer" . We have a long history in DC of players ranked bellow the top 100 stepping up to the challenge. I would like to see it not only more often, but as if they are rightfully there, not as the guys from the bench.

Something as radical as four different singles players would hardly happen, but maybe if you limit somehow the participation of one player, the top guys would commit more. If it is just one match, in your home tie, why not play if you´re healthy?

Anyway, it would be fine for me to limit one player participation to two rubbers. It would also make the captain´s work a bit harder...

 

[Carol]

Bautista has gave one point to Spain 1-1 and tomorrow they will play the doubles

 

[Moxie]

But that´s the whole point: Davis Cup is predictable. The powerhouses don´t always win because the top players don´t commit, so what you more than often have is that the team who wins is the team with the bigger player who actually commits to it. It would become unpredictable if all the top guys would play, but they don´t.

I agree that the absence of top players gives lesser ranked players a chance to surprise people, and they often do. But what annoys me is that, given they are there just because the top guys are absent, there is a feeling of less value in the ties. "Oh, they beat Switzerland, but without Federer" . We have a long history in DC of players ranked bellow the top 100 stepping up to the challenge. I would like to see it not only more often, but as if they are rightfully there, not as the guys from the bench.

Something as radical as four different singles players would hardly happen, but maybe if you limit somehow the participation of one player, the top guys would commit more. If it is just one match, in your home tie, why not play if you´re healthy?

Anyway, it would be fine for me to limit one player participation to two rubbers. It would also make the captain´s work a bit harder...

I see what you're going for, but in practical terms, DC doesn't get much attention anyway, so when the bigger stars play, everyone wants to see them. And the ability to play their best players to the full extent they're willing to allows smaller countries to get to the late rounds, or even win. If anything, I'd go with your notion of maximum two ties for any player. It would make the coach's job much more complicated, but would get some players off the bench, and make for some interesting results, potentially. Actually, there were some today, which I will post.

 

[Moxie]

US is still playing in action v. Switzerland, (Isner v. Laarkson...US leads 1-0.) Otherwise:

Argentina 0 - Italy 2
Australia 2 - Czech Rep. 0
Serbia 2 - Russia 0
Japan 0 - France 2

But there have been some surprises and long matches:

Belgium 1 - Germany 1: Kohlshreiber lost in 5 to Steve Darcis in 5th Set TB
Croatia 1 - Spain 1: Pablo Carreño Busto led 4-1 in the fifth then lost to Franco Skoger, ranked #223 in 5th Set TB
Canada 1 - GBR 1: Evans won in straights, Pospisil beat Kyle Edmund in straights

For those curious: Djokovic beat Danil Medvedev (#63): 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 1-0 (ret.)

 

[isabelle]

Argies are in big danger...they miss Delpo

 

[mrzz]

Italy was unfair and neutralized Argentina´s best weapon, which was Fognini.

 

[Moxie]

France is through over Japan
US is through over Switzerland
Serbia over Russia
Australia over Czech Republic

On the other hand:

Argentina holds on v. Italy in doubles
Spain is surprisingly down 1-2 v. Croatia against nobodies
GBR noses ahead over Canada with a win in double today
Belgium is rather shockingly ahead on Germany 2-1, when the Zverev brothers went down in doubles