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Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2006 1:32 pm Post subject: Davis cup Zonals
If anyone's intrested here we can discuss the Zonal Davis cup action.
Europe/Africa Zone Group I 2006 - 1st Round Play-Offs
Great Britain v Israel Great Britain 21 - 23 Jul 2006
Americas Zone Group I 2006 - 1st Round Play-Offs
Peru v Ecuador Peru 21 - 23 Jul 2006
Canada v Venezuela Canada 21 - 23 Jul 2006
Europe/Africa Zone Group II 2006 - 2nd Round
Norway v Macedonia, F.Y.R. Norway 21 - 23 Jul 2006
Finland v Algeria Finland 21 - 23 Jul 2006
Bulgaria v Hungary Bulgaria 21 - 23 Jul 2006
Poland v Georgia Poland 21 - 23 Jul 2006
Europe/Africa Zone Group II 2006 - Play-Offs
Greece v Zimbabwe Greece 21 - 23 Jul 2006
Ireland v Slovenia Ireland 21 - 23 Jul 2006
Egypt v Cyprus Egypt 21 - 23 Jul 2006
Latvia v South Africa Latvia 21 - 23 Jul 2006
Upcoming Zonal Events
Asia/Oceania Zone Group III Philippines w/c 17 July
Europe/Africa Zone Group III (1) Bosnia/Herzegovina w/c 17 July
Europe/Africa Zone Group IV Malta w/c 17 July
Europe/Africa Zone Group III (2) Botswana w/c 24 July _________________
Here are the play-offs for teams which want to make it to the World Group:
Austria v Mexico
Germany v Thailand
Netherlands v Czech Republic
Romania v Korea, Rep.
Slovak Republic v Belgium
Spain v Italy
Brazil v Sweden
Switzerland v Serbia & Montenegro
Other news... just zonal ties, talk about dirty tactics. The UK plays Ukraine. Ukraine chose an eaerly start time just to capatilize on Murray's disklike of waking up early. Murray's playing the second match.
Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco put in a performance full of dynamic
exuberance to beat Giorgio Galimberti and Daniele Bracciali 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 in Saturday’s doubles and give Spain a 2-1 lead over Italy in its Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group play-off.
“It was a very impressive match and very emotional,” said Nadal.” It’s much better to go to bed with 2-1 up than 2-1 down. It gives us
confidence for tomorrow.”
Nadal was called in by Spanish captain Emilio Sanchez as a replacement for Tommy Robredo, who had appeared out-of-sorts in losing to Filippo Volandri in Friday’s opening singles rubber. It proved to be a master stroke.
“They combined well because when one was down the other one was up,” said Spanish captain Emilio Sanchez. “Rafa controls his energy very well because he’s played a lot of important matches with his emotions. I was trying to control Fernando a little more because I didn’t want him to get over-excited because then you play bad. He’s more expressive in a way.”
Nadal and Verdasco bring energy to the court
Nadal and Verdasco had never previously played Davis Cup doubles together – though they did reach the semi-finals of the ATP Tour event in Stuttgart in July 2005 on their only previous doubles foray – but appeared to gel immediately. Bouncing around between points and frequently exhorting each other with shouts, fist pumps, high fives and even chest bumps, Nadal and Verdasco were a collective bundle of energy from the first point.
“Fernando played a very complete match,” said Nadal. “He returned the ball unbelievable when the other guys were serving. This was a very important match for us because we had a lot of losses in doubles this year.”
Verdasco had never played in front of his home crowd in Davis Cup before and afterwards said he was inspired by the occasion. “For me it was so motivating, and such a good feeling and sensation,” said Verdasco. “It was a new and special experience and I’m so happy that I started with a victory.”
Galimberti and Bracciali were by far the more established team and had never been beaten in Davis Cup play, yet they appeared overwhelmed early on. The Spanish duo broke Bracciali’s serve in the opening game to set the tone for the first set. While Nadal is undoubtedly the star of the show in Santander – where he is playing his first Davis Cup tie at home since the 2004 final – Spain owed its doubles victory as much to Verdasco as to the two-time Roland Garros champion. While Nadal’s groundstrokes were predictably potent, Verdasco served well and ted the net with agile aggression.
Italians fight back
The high octane tennis which the Spanish produced in the first set was always likely to suffer a dip and when their energy levels dropped a notch in the second set, Bracciali and Galimberti pounced to temporarily quell the crowd and their opponents. The Italians’ efforts in leveling the match at a set all served only to galvanise Nadal and Verdasco once more, though, and the home side recovered the dynamism of the first set to go two sets to one ahead.
The momentum appeared to switch again at the start of the fourth set, with Italy becoming more aggressive and producing their best passage of play of the match to run up a 5-2 lead, yet Nadal and Verdasco did not stay subdued for long. They broke to 15 when Galimberti served to level the match, bounding back to their seats as though barely able to contain themselves. Verdasco had to survive a few anxious moments on his serve at 4-5 but it was his aggression and perseverance which secured victory for Spain after Nadal had taken them to the tiebreaker.
Spanish celebrate
After Nadal put away the winning volley, Verdasco jumped into the 20-year-old’s arms with such force that he knocked Nadal over backwards onto the court, and the pair remained locked in an embrace, covering themselves in red clay as the capacity crowd roared its approval.
Nadal will return to action for the reverse singles on Sunday, and could win the tie for Spain and secure his nation’s place in the World Group next year if he beats Volandri in the opening rubber.
“Now I have the chance to win the tie (but) I’m going to have a very difficult match,” said Nadal. “Volandri is playing very good with lots of confidence so I will have to play a very good match tomorrow.”
If Volandri manages to pull off another upset, then Sanchez will have to decide whether to keep faith with Robredo for the second singles rubber against Andreas Seppi or replace him with either Verdasco or David Ferrer. Under the ITF’s Davis Cup rules, Sanchez has until ten minutes before the scheduled start of the fifth rubber to make a decision.
Nadal will be anxious to put the tie beyond doubt by then, saving Sanchez from a selection dilemma and giving himself a triumphant homecoming at the same time.
The Czech Republic vs Netherlands
The Czech Republic has returned to the World Group at the first attempt, having started the year outside it for the first time since its inception in 1981, after taking an unassailable 3-0 lead over the Netherlands.
Martin Damm and Tomas Berdych overcame a partisan crowd, their own nerves and the pressure to perform, defeating Peter Wessels and Rogier Wassen in a four-set battle. The 76(4) 75 67(2) 76(4) victory in Leiden means the tie has essentially ended and while it gives the Czechs World Group status for 2007, the Dutch are relegated for the first time in 15 years.
The marathon struggle, which lasted nearly three and a half hours, underscored to everyone watching what the beauty of Davis Cup really is.
Reflecting on what had happened, Damm said that “the match could have gone either way,” especially after the third set. But this is where in his opinion the Davis Cup made the difference. “On the tour maybe it would have been easier for us to beat them,” said the freshly crowned US Open doubles champion, “but with the crowd here in Leiden so great and supportive of their team, it was much tougher for us.”
Battle develops after nervous start for both Czechs and Dutch
Though neither team was at its best to begin with, the Czechs seemed to be more in sync, earning an early break point and storming to a 5-2 lead. While the Dutch seemed to struggle to hit inside the court or to cover their own side of the net effectively, the Czechs at least moved around with confidence even if not producing a stellar performance.
But then something happened - as the orange sea of supporters became louder with the drumming and the singing, Wessels and Wassen seemed to steady their nerves and finally trust their shots. Berdych saw his serve broken twice and it wasn’t much longer before Wessels’s own big serves and aces forced the set into a tiebreak.
Czech Republic takes first two sets
The Czechs started the tiebreak with some brave shots and a slice backhand from Berdych quickly put them 4-0 up. Wessels and Wassen, though, took it point by point and managed to narrow the gap to 4-3. But Damm lived up to his feared doubles reputation, and he only gave the Dutch pair one more chance to score before finishing the tiebreak.
The battle continued into the second set in which the Wessels and Wassen were marginally the better team, posting a winning percentage of 72 on first serve and 83 on second. With the Dutch up 4-3 and deuce in the eighth game, a questionable ace on Berdych’s serve put the Czechs level at 4-4 and seemed to decide the fate of the set which the Czechs won 75.
Dutch surge back into match
The third and fourth sets featured a power game throughout, with both teams locked and no breaks of serve. At 4-4 in the third the Czechs missed their chance to take the lead as an ace from Wessels and some formidable team play kept the score in favour of the hosts. Three games later and amidst deafening noise from the crowd, the set was decided by a tiebreak again.
Even though Berdych pumped his fist as he began, in what looked to be him indicating to Damm that surely they could pull it off again, they did not. Berdych himself sent a forehand and a backhand into the net on two crucial points consecutively. With the crowd so loyally behind them, nothing stopped Wessels and Wassen from then on and they raced through the remaining points to take the set.
Berdych and Damm win through
But the fourth set tiebreak was not to be so lucky for the home favourites. In spite of the standing ovation and the “Holland” chants coming from the stands, Wessels and Wassen just could not do it again. With Wessels missing a seemingly simple overhead to give the Czechs a 2-0 lead, the Dutch tried to fight and saved two match points but eventually surrendered the tiebreak 7-4, and with this the chance to keep their nation in the World Group for 2007.
Asked later if they expected the match to be so tough, the Czech team jokingly said “No,” but admitted that their Dutch opponents played “world class doubles.” Damm commended Wessels on his convincing return to play after injury and said he hoped that “everyone out there enjoyed the match. It was great.”
Sweeden vs Brazil
The opening day of the World Group Play-off tie between Brazil and Sweden in Belo Horizonte saw frustrated crowds waiting in vain at the ExpoMinas for the first balls to be hit. The rain which fell on the capital of Minas Gerais over the last two days made the clay court, laid especially for the occasion, completely unplayable.
Yet, as new clay was being laid on the centre court with the hope of resuming play a few hours after the scheduled start time, the Belo Horizonte sky decided it wasn’t to be. Heavy rain came down again around midday as the last hopes of playing on Friday vanished.
“It’s really unlucky that it rained so much for the last two days. We just have to wait and hope the tie can be played from tomorrow,” said Swedish captain Mats Wilander.
"We have to be patient" - Wilander
“It’s a shame because both Andreas Vinciguerra and Robin Soderling were really eager to play. We will have to be patient,” Wilander added.
Weather permitting, the first two singles matches and the doubles are scheduled to be played on Saturday, beginning at 10:00 local time (13:00 GMT).
Austria vs Mexico
Julian Knowle and Jurgen Melzer have clinched Austria's place in the 2007 World Group of Davis Cup by BNP Paribas after a hard fought four-set doubles win against Mexico. The duo combined to defeat former ITF junior world champions Bruno Echagaray and Santiago Gonzalez 63 57 75 76(3).
Switzerland vs Serbia & Montenegro
Roger Federerand Yves Allegro have given Switzerland a 2-1 lead in the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group Play-off against Serbia & Montenegro, taking the doubles rubber 76(3) 64 64 against Ilija Bozoljac and Nenad Zimonjic.
The first set was evenly balanced with all games going with serve, although Federer, Zimonjic and Bozoljac all had to save break points. In the tiebreak, Zimonjic was the first to drop a point on serve and the Serbian pair could not recover the mini-break.
With Bozoljac’s serve broken in the first game of the second set, the Swiss maintained that advantage with some excellent serving to bring up a two-set lead. Federer, in particular was impressive, conceding just one point in his three service games and finishing with an ace.
Swiss go crazy
In a party atmosphere 5,500 delighted fans cheered every move of their adored national hero. Federer only plays a couple of times a year in Switzerland (and with Wawrinka losing yesterday they are guaranteed to see him again tomorrow). Being Switzerland the impeccably-behaved crowd applauded the Serbs’ winning shots and of course there was guaranteed silence two and a half seconds before every point was played.
The third set went with serve until 4-4 when Zimonjic failed to save two break points. The crowd’s delight grew and the noise was deafening as Roger Federer served out with an ace.
Federer is set to take on Djokovic in the first of tomorrow's reverse singles. Djokovic, who is a great friend of Britain's Andy Murray, will be hoping to draw inspiration from Murray’s recent victory over Federer in Cincinnati, proving he is not invincible. He said: "We will fight here until the end. We didn’t come here to lose or play our best tennis, we came here to win, so we hope.”
Federer confident going into final day
However Federer is full of confidence going into tomorrow's match. “I am sure I am going to play a good match so I think it's going to need an excellent match by Djokovic to come close to victory. But I am going to try and control the match like I did against Tipsarevic and hopefully I can play well and have a good start to the match. I've only played him once and he has improved since, but this is my territory, I’m playing at home. so I hope that I can take advantage of that."
If it does go to the final rubber, Janko Tipsarevic is ready for a possible clash with Stanislas Wawrinka. He said: “If it comes to the decisive match I think nobody's the favourite. I beat him two years ago, but that was a long time ago on the same surface, and the reason I’m saying this is because I think in a match where it's deciding who is going and who is staying in the world group, the pressure will be huge on both of us and I don’t think anybody is the favourite.”
Note: This is, in fact, Serbia & Montenegro's last Davis Cup tie, as the two nations will compete separately from next year following Montenegro's vote for independence from earlier this year.
Belguim vs Slovak Repbluic
Belgians win five set doubles to edge closer to victory
Olivier Rochus and Kristof Vliegen rescued the hopes of Belgium gaining a place in the 2007 World Group of the Davis Cup by BNP Parabas with a five set epic win over the Slovak Republic.
The Belgian's outlasted Dominik Hrbaty and Michal Mertinak 62 36 63 06 75 to give them the advantage heading into Sunday's reverse singles.
The doubles rubber in Davis Cup by BNP Paribas play gives as good an indication of the eventual winner of a tie as any other factor. Coming into this weekend’s play, the victorious nation in doubles has gone on to win 80% (28 of 35) of all the World Group and World Group Play-off ties played during the past two years.
Change of line up
Accordingly, Belgian Davis Cup Captain Julien Hoferlin decided to change his line-up for Saturday’s doubles rubber against the Slovak Republic in Bratislava, hoping to tack on an all-important point and make Sunday’s reverse singles a little less pressure-filled for his team.
So Hoferlin withdrew the nomination of his original doubles pairing, Gilles Elseneer and Dick Norman, and replaced them with his two singles players, Olivier Rochus and Kristof Vliegen, despite the fact that both had played three-hour plus singles matches Friday.
Rochus and Vliegen came into the match with a 3-1 record as partners in Davis Cup play, their only loss coming to the formidable Bryan brothers of the USA last September in a World Group play-off tie.
Hoferlin can only be ecstatic about today’s result in Bratislava, as Rochus and Vliegen overcame the Slovak Republic’s Dominik Hrbaty and Michal Mertinak in just shy of three and a half hours when Rochus served an ace out wide to the deuce court that Hrbaty could not reach.
“I went for the best team, that’s it,” said Hoferlin. “Finally we won but we still have to win one more point. If we lose tomorrow’s singles it won’t matter.”
Vliegen takes charge
Vliegen provided the emotional spark for the Belgian pair throughout the tense encounter and fell to his knees at the end of the match before dissolving into tears when celebrating with his teammates.
“I’m here to fight for myself and fight for my country,” Vliegen said.
“I’ll do anything to have three points for my team at the end of the weekend. It was a match that we needed today and if you love the game and fight then it’s natural to be so emotional.”
Rochus and Vliegen broke Mertinak’s serve to begin the match and broke Hrbaty to lead 5-2 in the opening set. The Belgians closed out the set on Vliegen’s serve after just 27 minutes when Mertinak netted a forehand.
Slovak fight back
But the Slovakian pair immediately responded by snaring the second set, making it a best-of-three affair with the support of a boisterous home crowd behind them.
The Belgians broke Mertinak to go up 2-1 in final set but Rochus was broken back in the 4th game. The match continued on serve until the 11th game, when the visitors broke through once again.
With Mertinak serving at 5-all, a blistering Vliegen forehand handcuffed a tiring Hrbaty and the Belgians had three break points at 0-40. Another Vliegen forehand at 15-40 resulted in a shank off Hrbaty’s racquet-head to give the vistors the break and a chance to close out the match on Rochus’ serve. This time, they made the break stick.
Slovak Captain Miloslav Mecir admitted that his side is up against it heading into Sunday’s reverse singles. “Certainly winning the doubles is very important. So I feel it’s a considerable advantage for Belgium. We will need to win both matches tomorrow in order to avoid relegation.”
Rochus will have the first at earning the Belgians a spot in the World Group for 2007 when he faces Hrbaty in the first of the reverse singles Sunday.
“I think I have some energy left,” Rochus said. “I will give everything for my country tomorrow. You don’t think about being tired out there and we only need to get the one point so we’ll see what happens.”
Germany vs Thailand
Germans take lead in Dusseldorf
Germany take a 2-1 lead in the Davis Cup by Paribas World Group Play-off tie with Thailand.
It was a walk in the park for Germany as Alexander Waske and Michael Kohlmann defeated Soanchai Ratiwatana and Sonchat Ratiwatana of Thailand 6-1, 6-2, 6-0 in just 73 minutes.
“Right from the beginning we put the pressure on them. That was the reason for the clear win”, Michael Kohlmann said.
“We played offensive. The first break was so important”, Alexander Waske said.
Home support inspires the Germans
Both Germans, inspired by strong support from the home crowd, played with emotion straight from the start. “That is our style”, Waske said and smiled. “We always try to push each other.”
Waske and Kohlmann celebrated their biggest success earlier this year when they defaeted the Bryan-brothers in Houston and won the title.
The twins from Thailand, the socalled “Thai Bryans” were always the underdogs in this rubber. Neither of them has yet been ranked in the top 100 in doubles.
“They were too good for us”, Sonchat Ratiwatana said. “We were loose. We had practiced well, but we expected Kohlmann and Waske to feel a bit of pressure because they were the high favorites and had to win today. Unfortunately that was not the case.”
“The difference was power and the movement of clay which we are not used to”, his brother Sanchai added. “We could return their serves but they volleyed much more solid and had the big returns. We couldn’t guess where they were putting the ball.”
One way traffic
In the first set which lasted just 18 minutes the Ratiwatana-brothers lost serve twice. In the fifth game when Waske was serving, the tall German was taken to deuce a few times. That was the only situation when the Germans were in danger of loosing serve.
In the second set Waske und Kohlmann broke their opponents serve in the fifth and seventh game. It was an entertaining match now. The Thais had three break chances in a row in the sixth game when Kohlmann served but they couldn’t convert their chances.
“I think when we saved this game the Thais broke down. They had no further chances”, Kohlmann said. Last time he played for his country in 2003 against Argentina he twisted his ankle in the match and had to give up.
“It was terrible. I cried and always wished to play for Germany again. I am more than happy that our captain Patrik Kühnen believed in me.” Kohlmann said that he never practiced harder, than before this match.
The third set was the easiest for the Germans breaking their opponent three times. Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana had no break chances. They didn’t win a game.
“It’s nice to be 2-1 up”, Waske said, “but it’s not the time to open the champagne.”
The decision which team will stay in the World Group will be tomorrow when Tommy Haas starts against Paradorn Srichaphan in the fourth rubber. Later Florian Mayer will take on Danai Udomchoke.
GB came through comfortably against Ukraine, in the smallest Davis Cup arena I have ever seen! I was so pleased for Rusedski for saving match points and winning that great match 9-7 in the 5th. Murray wrapped up the tie very well from then.
GB came through comfortably against Ukraine, in the smallest Davis Cup arena I have ever seen! I was so pleased for Rusedski for saving match points and winning that great match 9-7 in the 5th. Murray wrapped up the tie very well from then.
just a question, why doesn't Henman play Davis Cup anymore? _________________
Pavel sees Romania home
Andrei Pavel was Romania’s hero as his team sealed a place in the World Group of the 2007 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas. The 32-year-old won his second match of the day, defeating Hyung-Taik Lee 46 64 63 62 to give the hosts a 3-1 winning lead over Korea in their World Group Play-off tie in Bucharest.
You couldn’t ask for more diversity, drama and excitement in a tennis match. It started at daylight and finished under the floodlights of the centre court. The blue sky sometimes came out from behind the clouds for a couple of minutes, but there was also some drizzle. But above all there was a brave comeback by home hero Pavel.
Pavel and Lee are almost the same age. Although they have both spent several years inside the world’s top 100, they have only faced each other on two previous occasions, with the Romanian winning twice in 2004. The final day of the World Group Play-off was something special for both players, first facing each other in the delayed doubles and then the singles.
Pavel makes strong recovery
After losing the opening set, Pavel looked in trouble when Lee broke his serve halfway through the second set. Was it the fine drizzle that came down for much of the set that brought some refreshment to the home hero, or was it Mick Jagger shouting “I can’t get no satisfaction” out of the loudspeakers at one of the changeovers. Pavel somehow managed to rise from the , broke the Korean’s serve, and gaining momentum, repeated this effort in the tenth game to level the match.
Lee broke the Romanian’s serve in the first game of the third set, but it was only a short moment of weakness. Pavel immediately broke back and took his destiny in his own hands. He broke again in the sixth game and convincingly secured a two-sets-to-one lead.
This time it was the Pet Shop Boys with “Go west, life is peaceful now” that serenaded him as he sailed towards the victory. With a double break of serve he took a 4-0 lead and didn’t allow his opponent back in the match.
Korea defeat ends Asian World Group hopes
“It was a strange match and I have to give a lot of credit to the crowds that lifted me out of trouble. I am really happy that we managed to stay in the World Group,” a happy Pavel said as he finished his twenty-fourth Davis Cup tie with three wins. "The atmosphere was really great. The stands were packed, they were even sitting on the stairs. It is a real pleasure to play on this kind of occasion."
In the fifth rubber, Florin Mergea made the final tie score 4-1 by defeating Woong-Sun Jun 62 26 63.
While Romania secured its eleventh participation in the World Group, Korea missed out for the sixth time in the Play-offs to join the elite group of sixteen countries, in which they only participated in 1981 and 1987. Korea was Asia’s last hope to join the 2007 World Group following Thailand’s loss to Germany. Both Asian teams will return to Asia/Oceania Zone Group I. _________________
Spain hopes for a good draw in 2007
Rafael Nadal will be keeping his fingers and toes crossed on Thursday when the draw gets underway at the historic Foro Italico in Rome to decide the fate of the top 16 nations in the 2007 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas.
Having sealed victory for Spain by winning all three of his matches in its Play-off against Italy in Santander over the weekend, Nadal secured his team’s place amongst the elite World Group of the competition. Now he must wait, along with everyone else, to see if fate is going to be kind to him and his teammates.
“We will try the best but we will hope the draw was a little better than the last year,” said Nadal, after securing the winning point with a four-set victory over Italy’s Filippo Volandri. “We will see. We are in the World Group and that is very important for Spain.”
Spain Number Two in Davis Cup Rankings
Spanish captain Emilio Sanchez’s gifted squad, which has included Tommy Robredo, Feliciano Lopez, Fernando Verdasco and David Ferrer as well as Nadal this year, is currently ranked No.2 in the Davis Cup rankings and is likely to be seeded in Thursday’s draw. However, as the Spanish know very well, being seeded is no guarantee of success. In the first round in February this year, when the team was without Nadal, Spain was beaten 4-1 on an indoor court in Belarus. The previous year it was beaten in the first round by Slovak Republic.
Nadal’s obvious love of playing for his country could be Sanchez’s trump card in 2007 though, especially if Spain secure home ties or are made to play on clay. Nadal has not been beaten on the surface in 62 matches – his last defeat on clay came in April 2005.
“We can play at a very high level on normal surfaces like clay and hard court but our level drops a lot if we have to play on fast indoor carpet like Belarus used this year,” warned Sanchez.
Nadal and Verdasco a dynamic and aggressive doubles pairing
Sanchez might have solved Spain’s problem of finding a reliable doubles team, having opted to partner Nadal with Verdasco in Santander for the first time in Davis Cup, a gamble that paid off in spectacular style. The pair gelled well and proved to be a dynamic and aggressive doubles pairing, one capable of stopping the run of defeats Spain had suffered in doubles rubbers. Before this weekend, Spain had lost doubles rubbers in four successive Davis Cup ties and hadn’t won a doubles point since September 2004. The team Nadal and Verdasco beat in Santander, Giorgio Galimberti and Daniele Bracciali, had never previously lost a Davis Cup match together.
“I’m very glad that they got together. They compensated well for each other,” said Sanchez, who made the decision to replace Robredo with Nadal in the doubles on Friday night, but only told Verdasco first thing on Saturday morning, hours before he was due on court. “They’re very young so it’s an option of course. But we have other players as well and we have to see with whom they play better and with whom they play more often on the tour.”
Italy return to Europe/Africa Zone Group One
If Spain has good reason to be optimistic then Italy can at least be reassured that it is likely to be seeded in the draw for the Europe/Africa Zone Group One, though Italian captain Corrado Barazzutti will be another with his eyes and ears on Thursday’s draw. Even with the protection of a seeding, which would give the team a first round bye before playing in April, Italy could still find itself up against the likes of Great Britain, Israel, Luxembourg, Mexico or Korea, amongst others. At least Barazzutti knows that if Italy gets to a World Group play-off this time next year, his team is certain to avoid playing Spain for the third year in succession. A special Davis Cup rule ensures teams cannot play off against each other more than two years’ running.
Barazzutti, like Nadal, will have to wait until Thursday to see if there is more good news coming his way. _________________
GB came through comfortably against Ukraine, in the smallest Davis Cup arena I have ever seen! I was so pleased for Rusedski for saving match points and winning that great match 9-7 in the 5th. Murray wrapped up the tie very well from then.
just a question, why doesn't Henman play Davis Cup anymore?
He retired from Davis Cup at the end of 2004. He wanted to focus more on his personal career. Many people have tried to persuade him to come back but he doesn't want to. I would like him to play aswell so we have a better team, but I respect his decision, he has already done alot for Davis Cup.
Henman was finally reconsidered his Davis Cup retirement, and now Murray has a problem with it. Murray is annoying me now, can't he just accept that he is not above Henman or even Rusedski yet.
I think his argument has no meaning. Finally we an have a Davis Cup team with more than one quality player, and if Rusedski can get fit and healthy again, we really can have a strong team for at least a year.
Henman was finally reconsidered his Davis Cup retirement, and now Murray has a problem with it. Murray is annoying me now, can't he just accept that he is not above Henman or even Rusedski yet.
I think his argument has no meaning. Finally we an have a Davis Cup team with more than one quality player, and if Rusedski can get fit and healthy again, we really can have a strong team for at least a year.
that is very childish of him, Henman would be a HUGE step up from anyone else that the UK could use. I have never liked Murray, he seems too hot headed. who care's if Henman will retire soon? if he wants to play he has done enough for British Tennis that he deserves to be given a spot. _________________
Henman was finally reconsidered his Davis Cup retirement, and now Murray has a problem with it. Murray is annoying me now, can't he just accept that he is not above Henman or even Rusedski yet.
I think his argument has no meaning. Finally we an have a Davis Cup team with more than one quality player, and if Rusedski can get fit and healthy again, we really can have a strong team for at least a year.
What do you mean "he is not above Henman or even Rusedski yet"?
_________________ Tennis is in the mind...
not the body.
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