Davis Cup Quarterfinal Update

The USTA and U.S. Davis Cup Captain Patrick McEnroe announced Thursday that the defending Davis Cup champions will feature world No. 6 Andy Roddick, No. 9 James Blake and the No. 1 doubles team in the world Bob and Mike Bryan in the 2008 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Quarterfinal. The U.S. will face France on an indoor premiere hard court in Winston-Salem’s Joel Coliseum, April 11-13.

This is the tenth straight time that U.S. Davis Cup Captain McEnroe has used this lineup—a record for the U.S. Davis Cup team—dating back to the 2005 World Group Play-off in Belgium. The previous U.S. record was three consecutive ties, held by eight different teams. In addition, Mardy Fish—the third-ranked American—will come to Winston-Salem as a reserve and practice with the team.

The weekend festivities will begin Friday before the matches with a special ceremony to recognize the 2007 Davis Cup champions. During the ceremony, a banner will be raised and the team will be presented custom-designed 14-karat gold rings commissioned by the USTA with five diamonds on the top, representing McEnroe and each of the four players.

“We’re looking forward to adding another chapter to our rich Davis Cup history with France,” said U.S. Davis Cup Captain Patrick McEnroe, who has led the U.S. to a 14-6 record since taking over as Captain in 2001. “We received tremendous support from the crowd last year in Winston-Salem and we hope to experience that same excitement again this year.”

Good seats are still available and can be purchased by calling (888) 484-USTA (8782) or online at www.ticketmaster.com. The event is being organized, staged and promoted by the USTA.

The United States began the defense of its record 32nd Davis Cup title with a 4-1 win over Austria on an indoor red clay court in Vienna. Should the United States defeat France, the U.S. would travel to either Germany or Spain for the World Group Semifinal in September.

The United States and France will meet for the fifteenth time in their more than one-hundred-year history. The series is tied 7-7 with France winning the last meeting in the 2002 World Group Semifinal at Roland Garros in Paris. From 1925-1930, France and the U.S. met each year in the final, with the U.S. winning the first two match-ups.

Versus and Tennis Channel will air same-day coverage of all three days of competition. Versus’ live coverage will begin each day, starting at 1 p.m. ET Friday and Sunday, and 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. Tennis Channel will re-air coverage at 8 p.m. ET.

The opening day of play in the best-of-five match series features each country’s No. 1 singles player against the No. 2 player from the other country. The pivotal doubles match is played Saturday, followed by Sunday’s “reverse singles,” starting with each country’s No. 1 player squaring off followed by the No. 2 players in the fifth and final match.

Roddick, 25, has a 27-9 record in Davis Cup matches since joining the team in 2001, which ties him for second all-time in singles victories for the U.S. Davis Cup team. Last year, he went undefeated (6-0) to lead the U.S. to its first Davis Cup title since 1995. He has been the No. 1 player for the United States in all but two appearances—his debut at the 2001 Davis Cup First Round at Switzerland and the 2002 Davis Cup First Round win over the Slovak Republic (behind Pete Sampras) in Oklahoma City.

Last April, Winston-Salem hosted the 2007 World Group Quarterfinal in which the United States defeated Spain, 4-1. The event was played in front of sold-out crowds that made the quarterfinal the third-highest-attended Davis Cup weekend in the United States. The team used that victory as a springboard to capture its first Davis Cup title in 12 years, going on to defeat Sweden in Gothenburg and Russia in the final in Portland, Ore.