2014 Davis Cup

[secrettennisjunkie]

It's very curious that the Serbs didn't play Bozoljac with Zimonjic as that team beat the Bryans in Davis Cup last year. They should have been able to beat Chiudinelli and Lammer. Then a very tired Wawrinka would've been forced to go out and clinch the tie, which given his state Friday, may or may not have happened. But then Fed would've clinched so it's all a moot point anyways.

And I think the US overthought it when picking clay, but Isner being out hurt them more. I guess they fancied Isner vs. Murray on clay rather than another surface, and also they thought it would be a weak surface for Ward or Evans or whoever the British no. 2 would be. So while in the end the clay came back and bit them it was more about our no. 1 still being hurt and our no. 2 absolutely choking.

 

[Front242]

Agree about Bozoljac with Zimonjic. Very strange they didn't choose this pair.

 

[Noelann]

That match between Zim/Bozo and Bryans b.- Q 2013 was great quality , remember Bozo serving lights on very fast court, pulls some sublime return winners,Nenad played beautifully at the net, B.brothers also playing great, for me one of the best double matches in DC at last coulple years.

 

[britbox]

QF Draw is:

Czech Republic v Japan
Germany v France
Great Britain v Italy
Kazakhstan v Switzerland

Ties to be played 4th - 6th April.

 

[sid]

Huge win for Team GB. Big Kudos for Andy Murray, who gets taken for granted by Brit fans so often... and great to see one of the supporting cast step up to make his efforts worth it. Props to James Ward...

Best thing here was Murray got matches under his belt.Sam in the past has played a good bit on Clay so it was a good win for Murray after back Op.

 

[isabelle]

A lot of news countries in the draw, Spain and Argentina out (Nalby must be furious...) UK and Switzerland take their place..very interesting indeed

 

[Moxie]

^Nalbandian did watch his team play DC this weekend. When the fans saw him in the stands, they cheered him and gave him an ovation. Photo and story here. (For you and Cali, isabelle.)

 

[Front242]

QF Draw is:

Czech Republic v Japan
Germany v France
Great Britain v Italy
Kazakhstan v Switzerland

Ties to be played 4th - 6th April.

Might as well be Russia v Switzerland as most of their team aren't from Kazakhstan at all!

 

[Iona16]

And I think the US overthought it when picking clay, but Isner being out hurt them more. I guess they fancied Isner vs. Murray on clay rather than another surface, and also they thought it would be a weak surface for Ward or Evans or whoever the British no. 2 would be. So while in the end the clay came back and bit them it was more about our no. 1 still being hurt and our no. 2 absolutely choking.

Murray would have been the favourite on any surface. I can see why they picked clay as it's Andy's worst surface but beating him would have been a big ask for Isner or Querrey. I think they made a mistake picking clay when it came to the British no. 2. Ward, Evans and even the youngster Kyle Edmund all love playing on clay.

I have to say I think Sam would have been disappointed with the crowd for his match against Ward. I know it was a weekday but the attendance was poor. Not what I would expect for an American Davis Cup crowd. What do you guys think of Courier as captain? There didn't seem to be too much chatting with him and his players. I was a bit surprised by his attire. I'm not sure how many times I saw him take off/put on his sunglasses. Half the time I thought I was watching David Caruso in CSI Miami.

 

[Fiero425]

And I think the US overthought it when picking clay, but Isner being out hurt them more. I guess they fancied Isner vs. Murray on clay rather than another surface, and also they thought it would be a weak surface for Ward or Evans or whoever the British no. 2 would be. So while in the end the clay came back and bit them it was more about our no. 1 still being hurt and our no. 2 absolutely choking.

Murray would have been the favourite on any surface. I can see why they picked clay as it's Andy's worst surface but beating him would have been a big ask for Isner or Querrey. I think they made a mistake picking clay when it came to the British no. 2. Ward, Evans and even the youngster Kyle Edmund all love playing on clay.

I have to say I think Sam would have been disappointed with the crowd for his match against Ward. I know it was a weekday but the attendance was poor. Not what I would expect for an American Davis Cup crowd. What do you guys think of Courier as captain? There didn't seem to be too much chatting with him and his players. I was a bit surprised by his attire. I'm not sure how many times I saw him take off/put on his sunglasses. Half the time I thought I was watching David Caruso in CSI Miami.

It's been more than a little embarrassing here in the States for years! We had such a wealth of riches with Sampras, Chang, Agassi, Courier, Martin, Washington, Mayotte, Roddick, Blake, and others so we could field a "B" team to win these early rounds in Davis Cup! Our best can't beat the "C" team of a small municipality of late! We deserve to go "regulation" round with such a weak team! Young? Please! The only time I see or hear about this guy is when he's on a losing streak! How he even qualifies for Tier 1 events is beyond me; probably a lot of undeserved wildcards! Who'd want the job? Courier is probably safe in his captaincy for now! :nono :s uzzled

 

[Moxie]

And I think the US overthought it when picking clay, but Isner being out hurt them more. I guess they fancied Isner vs. Murray on clay rather than another surface, and also they thought it would be a weak surface for Ward or Evans or whoever the British no. 2 would be. So while in the end the clay came back and bit them it was more about our no. 1 still being hurt and our no. 2 absolutely choking.

Murray would have been the favourite on any surface. I can see why they picked clay as it's Andy's worst surface but beating him would have been a big ask for Isner or Querrey. I think they made a mistake picking clay when it came to the British no. 2. Ward, Evans and even the youngster Kyle Edmund all love playing on clay.

I have to say I think Sam would have been disappointed with the crowd for his match against Ward. I know it was a weekday but the attendance was poor. Not what I would expect for an American Davis Cup crowd. What do you guys think of Courier as captain? There didn't seem to be too much chatting with him and his players. I was a bit surprised by his attire. I'm not sure how many times I saw him take off/put on his sunglasses. Half the time I thought I was watching David Caruso in CSI Miami.

Commentary here in the US was disinclined to criticize the choice of surface, or Courier. As you say, Iona, Murray would have been favored on any surface, and they counted too much on the US results last year on clay v. France, which, tbh, was a surprise, and they counted a bit too much on Isner. Similar error to Argentina v. Spain in the '08 final. Argentina went for HC, calculating to neutralize Nadal's best surface. Nadal couldn't play, and they ended up with the Spaniards who actually do better on HCs. And they lost. Probably the answer is to play on your best surface, and take your chances.

I like Courier. I think he has some chops and pull for helping to develop US men's tennis. I didn't watch enough to feel the "CSI" aspect, but felt he was engaged. I hope he'll grow into the position. Same with Moya for Spain. His team lost, but there's time to build as a DC coach.

 

[Luxilon Borg]

And I think the US overthought it when picking clay, but Isner being out hurt them more. I guess they fancied Isner vs. Murray on clay rather than another surface, and also they thought it would be a weak surface for Ward or Evans or whoever the British no. 2 would be. So while in the end the clay came back and bit them it was more about our no. 1 still being hurt and our no. 2 absolutely choking.

Murray would have been the favourite on any surface. I can see why they picked clay as it's Andy's worst surface but beating him would have been a big ask for Isner or Querrey. I think they made a mistake picking clay when it came to the British no. 2. Ward, Evans and even the youngster Kyle Edmund all love playing on clay.

I have to say I think Sam would have been disappointed with the crowd for his match against Ward. I know it was a weekday but the attendance was poor. Not what I would expect for an American Davis Cup crowd. What do you guys think of Courier as captain? There didn't seem to be too much chatting with him and his players. I was a bit surprised by his attire. I'm not sure how many times I saw him take off/put on his sunglasses. Half the time I thought I was watching David Caruso in CSI Miami.

I was there two of the three days..it was not as sparse as appeared on TV. There were a lot of people watching out of their seats. It was one of the biggest thrills of my tennis life..the setting was amazing. See my link to pics earlier in the thread.

 

[Luxilon Borg]

And I think the US overthought it when picking clay, but Isner being out hurt them more. I guess they fancied Isner vs. Murray on clay rather than another surface, and also they thought it would be a weak surface for Ward or Evans or whoever the British no. 2 would be. So while in the end the clay came back and bit them it was more about our no. 1 still being hurt and our no. 2 absolutely choking.

Murray would have been the favourite on any surface. I can see why they picked clay as it's Andy's worst surface but beating him would have been a big ask for Isner or Querrey. I think they made a mistake picking clay when it came to the British no. 2. Ward, Evans and even the youngster Kyle Edmund all love playing on clay.

I have to say I think Sam would have been disappointed with the crowd for his match against Ward. I know it was a weekday but the attendance was poor. Not what I would expect for an American Davis Cup crowd. What do you guys think of Courier as captain? There didn't seem to be too much chatting with him and his players. I was a bit surprised by his attire. I'm not sure how many times I saw him take off/put on his sunglasses. Half the time I thought I was watching David Caruso in CSI Miami.

I have to say, Courier's demeanor was much more subdued than I expected. The whole suit and sunglasses thing was a bit odd. I think he was trying really hard to balance being concerned and a bit cool.

I have a suspicion he was not well. Maybe got sick in Australia..definitely jet lagged. I saw him the Wed before and he was pretty low energy.

I am generally a big admirer of Courier. He was a fierce competitor and a Grand Slam champion.

 

[Luxilon Borg]

And I think the US overthought it when picking clay, but Isner being out hurt them more. I guess they fancied Isner vs. Murray on clay rather than another surface, and also they thought it would be a weak surface for Ward or Evans or whoever the British no. 2 would be. So while in the end the clay came back and bit them it was more about our no. 1 still being hurt and our no. 2 absolutely choking.

Murray would have been the favourite on any surface. I can see why they picked clay as it's Andy's worst surface but beating him would have been a big ask for Isner or Querrey. I think they made a mistake picking clay when it came to the British no. 2. Ward, Evans and even the youngster Kyle Edmund all love playing on clay.

I have to say I think Sam would have been disappointed with the crowd for his match against Ward. I know it was a weekday but the attendance was poor. Not what I would expect for an American Davis Cup crowd. What do you guys think of Courier as captain? There didn't seem to be too much chatting with him and his players. I was a bit surprised by his attire. I'm not sure how many times I saw him take off/put on his sunglasses. Half the time I thought I was watching David Caruso in CSI Miami.

Commentary here in the US was disinclined to criticize the choice of surface, or Courier. As you say, Iona, Murray would have been favored on any surface, and they counted too much on the US results last year on clay v. France, which, tbh, was a surprise, and they counted a bit too much on Isner. Similar error to Argentina v. Spain in the '08 final. Argentina went for HC, calculating to neutralize Nadal's best surface. Nadal couldn't play, and they ended up with the Spaniards who actually do better on HCs. And they lost. Probably the answer is to play on your best surface, and take your chances.

I like Courier. I think he has some chops and pull for helping to develop US men's tennis. I didn't watch enough to feel the "CSI" aspect, but felt he was engaged. I hope he'll grow into the position. Same with Moya for Spain. His team lost, but there's time to build as a DC coach.

This was a tough call, but I think most of us see the logic of picking clay. First, Murrays worst results have come on clay. Second Isner's Federer win and his domination of France. Obviously none of this panned out.

I would say indoor hard court would have been the best best, especially if Big John was healthy.

I am actually thrilled they picked clay because in 3 weeks the two red clay courts they installed at my club will be home base..I am going to live on that stuff. Far more chic than the Har Tru I had to deal with.

 

[Moxie]

I am actually thrilled they picked clay because in 3 weeks the two red clay courts they installed at my club will be home base..I am going to live on that stuff. Far more chic than the Har Tru I had to deal with.

Please explain.

 

[Luxilon Borg]

I am actually thrilled they picked clay because in 3 weeks the two red clay courts they installed at my club will be home base..I am going to live on that stuff. Far more chic than the Har Tru I had to deal with.

Please explain.

The USTA ripped up our two Har Tru courts and built two Red Clay courts, with clay flown in from Italy. I watched the British team, the US Team, and especially the Bryans practice for a week. I assisted them with logistics etc.

The courts are being left in place for anyone to play on as a "gift" from the USTA. I personally thanked Courier...

 

[Luxilon Borg]

I am actually thrilled they picked clay because in 3 weeks the two red clay courts they installed at my club will be home base..I am going to live on that stuff. Far more chic than the Har Tru I had to deal with.

Please explain.

 

[Moxie]

Yes, it is chic. And isn't the idea that US players get better on clay?

 

[Luxilon Borg]

Yes, it is chic. And isn't the idea that US players get better on clay?

Yes, I actually think that Courier has a bigger plan in mind here. They also installed 4 red clay courts at the National Tennis Center, a concrete jungle if there ever was one.

The players who have dominated the top 10 with few exceptions, learned the game on clay.

We have reached end game with the American hard court style..big server and forehand....

 

[Fiero425]

Yes, it is chic. And isn't the idea that US players get better on clay?

Don't juniors still train on clay? In my day, even the tourneys utilized clay more! California was the exception from what I remember of the 70's and 80's! No wonder Tracy Austin succumbed to her back injuries before her time! :nono