Making his 30th appearance for his country, as the number one American, Andy will lead the USA in their first round Davis Cup challenge against the Czech Republic on February 9-11.

This road trip for the U.S. next weekend, is one of eight opening round ties of the 2007 Davis Cup. Battling against a tough Czech team on an indoor clay court will be Andy Roddick, James Blake, and Bob and Mike Bryan.

The Czechs, playing without Stepanek, still field a strong team with Berdych, Dlouhy, Minar and Vizner.

The high quality of the US team is undeniable. Captained by Patrick McEnroe, and with the world’s numbers 4 and 6 in singles and top doubles team, the US pose a formidable challenge against any opposition.

Before heading to Australia, Andy, who has a stunning 20-9 win-loss record in Davis Cup, spoke of his desire to win the tournament.

“Davis Cup and Wimbledon are up top for me. You know, I’m not picky. I’ll take what I can get.”

Whilst not overlooking the tough challenges clay presents, Andy is feeling optimistic about his team’s chances in the Czech Republic.

“We’ve had some tough matchups on clay. Obviously I don’t know if the Czech Republic has the depth that Russia has. The loss to France, they’re a pretty deep team. You know, if it’s about getting to three first, I like our chances.”

The tie will be televised, at a delayed time, on The Tennis Channel. See their schedule here:
[1] http://www.thetennischannel.com/schedule/index.aspx

Go USA!