2015 Davis Cup

[Johnsteinbeck]

fun fact: according to tennis.com, it's "just" the 9th time the defending champs lost in the first round since '72 (before, the champs only played the "challenger" in the finals).

now for the fun part: this is like 20% of the time! incredibly often, don't you think? imagine a stat like that at grand slams i reckon it's because winning that thing might have had a similar effect on other top players like it did for Stan and Roger this year.

 

[Johnsteinbeck]

Mayer-Souza match has been the longest single played in a DC, 6h and 42 minutes :eyepop

and what a scoreline..

7:6 (7/4) 7:6 (7/5) 5:7 5:7 15:13

the 7-4 tiebreak first set looks like the most lopsided moment of the match

 

[auto-pilot]

I like the idea of the Davis Cup Champs only having to play the Final the next year.
Its like they earned the right to have an easy year (and that is very relevant for guys like Nadal/Djokovic/Federer).

 

[tennisville]

Thats wrong . There should never be a free pass to the final. Every team has to earn it

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Belluci capped off his Golden Swing with two more losses in DC Singles. What a wonderful
year he is having? He lost in the first round in Sao Paulo, Rio, BA and the two DC Singles
(all in his neck of the woods). All of this goes along with his first round losses in Auckland
and Australian Open with which he started the year.

If not for the Ecuador tourney in which he won a few matches, Belluci would have had
a Golden Sweep this year.

 

[auto-pilot]

Back in the day when Davis Cup was the top priority of pros, the champs really shouldn't have been given a free pass to the final.
But in today's tennis world where the slams are top priority, the champs getting a free pass to the final makes more sense (they earned the right to invest in the slams and not have to exert energy for early rounds of Davis Cup).

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Here is an article from NY Times on Davis Cup Problems.

Apparently, there is going to be a change of personnel at the top of ITF very soon. With that
some changes in DC Structure is expected. However, they don't expect any major sweeping
changes. The following two changes seem to be possible.

1. Playing DC finals at neutral site.

2. Giving 1st round by to DC champions of previous year.

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

we destroy the usa once again.

:

and lets please have the home qf v france after Wimbledon....AT Wimbledon.

 

[Fiero425]

Back in the day when Davis Cup was the top priority of pros, the champs really shouldn't have been given a free pass to the final.
But in today's tennis world where the slams are top priority, the champs getting a free pass to the final makes more sense (they earned the right to invest in the slams and not have to exert energy for early rounds of Davis Cup).

Hard to believe Fibak is still around; goes back to helping Lendl in the early 80's before hiring Roche! uzzled :angel: :dodgy: Speaking of the old days, we had 3 or 4 tiers of tennis stars so Sampras, Agassi, and Courier didn't have to play the early rounds! We could fall back on Chang, Blake, Washington, & Wheaton! What happened to us? We have nobody to rely on to get us past the 1st round for now! Isner's useless, Querry spending time on MDMM looking for a wife, Harrison not ready for prime time, and Andy Roddick past it! :nono :cover uzzled

 

[Fiero425]

We destroyed the USA once again.

:

and lets please have the home QF v France after Wimbledon....AT Wimbledon.

Congrats; won fair and square! :clap uzzled :nono :cover

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Luthi seems to have made a poor decision in leaving out Marti (292) in favor of Lammer (576)
in Singles. True that Marti does not have experience but Lammer has. However, the difference
in the rankings (278) does not justify giving Lammer a spot in the singles play. Lammer could
not even give a fight against Darcis where as another Swiss player ranked outside 300
defeated Darcis.

They promptly removed Lammer from reverse singles, but it was too little too late.

Can't help wondering whether Swiss would have won if Marti was given an opportunity to
play in Singles.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

fun fact: according to tennis.com, it's "just" the 9th time the defending champs lost in the first round since '72 (before, the champs only played the "challenger" in the finals).

now for the fun part: this is like 20% of the time! incredibly often, don't you think? imagine a stat like that at grand slams i reckon it's because winning that thing might have had a similar effect on other top players like it did for Stan and Roger this year.

Since then, no country has won DC three times in a row, although it was very common before.

However, USA (twice), Sweden, West Germany, Spain and Czech Republic have won
twice in a row even after change of format.

 

[Kirijax]

The first round of the 2015 Davis Cup is over and as usual there were a few surprises.

Easy Winner: Serbia
Serbia was the only team to coast through with a 5-0. All the rest ended up 3-2. Serbia definitely seems to be the team to beat this year.

Biggest Upset: Kazakhstan over Italy. Not sure of Italy's strategy in this one. Why not play the Australian Open doubles champs? Why didn't Fognini play the first day? If he was too injured to play the first day, why would he play the third day? Weird decisions and sloppy, uninspired play by the Italians.

Hero of the first round. Leonardo Mayer. Argentina was getting ready to pull off a pretty impressive upset over Argentina, but Mayer would not let that happen. His Davis Cup record match with Joao Souza will be talked about for a while. Just reading the 7-6(4), 7-6(5), 5-7, 5-7, 15-13 wears me out. Six hours and forty-three minutes. Wow.

Goat of the first round: John Isner. Your team drops the first match. You have to win. Your opponent is ranked 91 spots below you. You are up two sets to love. And you lose, putting the team in a hole it was not capable of climbing out of. Ouch.

Most exciting team: Australia. Am I the only one to see a Davis Cup in this team's future? They are fun to watch, too. They just might go all the way to the final round this year.

So the final eight are set:

The quarterfinal round is July 17-19. I'm seeing France, Australia, Serbia and Canada making the semifinals. But anything can happen in the Davis Cup!

 

[auto-pilot]

If France makes the final again I hope they don't select Gasquet.

 

[herios]

Biggest Upset: Kazakhstan over Italy. Not sure of Italy's strategy in this one. Why not play the Australian Open doubles champs?

They did play the AO champions, Bolelli & Fognini and they won that match.
The problem was with the singles.
They were unable to defeat Kukushkin, plus Nedovyesov managed to beat Fognini.

 

[Kirijax]

Biggest Upset: Kazakhstan over Italy. Not sure of Italy's strategy in this one. Why not play the Australian Open doubles champs?

They did play the AO champions, Bolelli & Fognini and they won that match.
The problem was with the singles.
They were unable to defeat Kukushkin, plus Nedovyesov managed to beat Fognini.

You're right. I looked at it wrong I guess. Either way, hats off to Kazakhstan. They played the Italians perfectly.

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

Here is an article from NY Times on Davis Cup Problems.

Apparently, there is going to be a change of personnel at the top of ITF very soon. With that
some changes in DC Structure is expected. However, they don't expect any major sweeping
changes. The following two changes seem to be possible.

1. Playing DC finals at neutral site.

2. Giving 1st round by to DC champions of previous year.

neutral site ?..I see discord brewing between finalists on what the surface should be if that happens.

 

[Fiero425]

Here is an article from NY Times on Davis Cup Problems.

Apparently, there is going to be a change of personnel at the top of ITF very soon. With that
some changes in DC Structure is expected. However, they don't expect any major sweeping
changes. The following two changes seem to be possible.

1. Playing DC finals at neutral site.

2. Giving 1st round by to DC champions of previous year.

neutral site ?..I see discord brewing between finalists on what the surface should be if that happens.

So you want to eliminate another team making only 7 in the World Group? Oh well! That will probably filter down to the relegation rounds in some way! :nono uzzled :angel: :dodgy:

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Darwin has been named as host for Australia's Davis Cup World Group quarter final against Kazakhstan,to be built on a purpose built grass court in July.

 

[isabelle]

If France makes the final again I hope they don't select Gasquet.

Before another final we have to beat Andy's team on grass....Richie is more than needed, he's the only one to have been able to win a tourney on grass (Nottingham)