Americans View Davis Cup As Priority

Many of the most prestigious individual honors in men’s tennis — three of the four major title trophies and the year-end No. 1 rank — are now only accessible to players who have an invitation to Roger Federer’s house. With the tennis landscape looking a lot like Federer’s private property, the Davis Cup has become an even more coveted championship for semifinal participants.

Capturing the Cup has become the top priority for second-ranked Andy Roddick, who leads the United States” squad that hosts Belarus in the best-of-five match semifinal set for this weekend at the Family Circle Tennis Center in Charleston, S.C. on a hard court.

“Coming into this year I wanted to win a major and I wanted to have a shot at being number one and there a lot of things that I wanted but they are just not in the cards for me as far as this year goes,” Roddick said. “But one thing still alive this year is this title, this is kind of where I am at, this is definitely the most important thing left for me as for as tennis goes this year.”

Former U.S. Open champion Roddick has looked right at home on courts close to home as 12 of his 15 tournament titles have come on North American soil. This tie has some elements of a homecoming as Roddick reunites with former housemate Mardy Fish as the American singles starters, who will face Belarus” Max Mirnyi and Vladimir Voltchkov.

Mirnyi, nicknamed “The Beast” for his unrelenting serve-and-volley style that can be the tennis equivalent of a blind-side hit from a blitzing linebacker, is winless in three career matches with Roddick, though two of those three meetings have gone three sets, including a 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 win for Roddick in Cincinnati last month. Fish scored a 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 victory over Mirnyi in their lone encounter at the Athens Olympic Games.

Fish, who has struggled to play to his potential in majors, has produced some of his most inspired performances in international team play. The 22-year-old Fish has drawn strength from the support of his teammates.

“This is an event that I grew up personally watching on TV and thinking about playing. And to be a part of it with the whole team atmosphere is totally how I anticipated it being and total team camaraderie from everybody,” Fish said. “When you play for your country it is always different you play for the USA and you play for your teammates. You get to sit on the sidelines and cheer the guys on.”

The fact that the United States has won six straight home ties, is undefeated on American soil in captain Patrick McEnroe’s tenure and counts one of the world’s premier hard-court players in Roddick and one of the world’s top doubles teams in twins Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan on its roster are all factors that make the Americans heavy favorites in this tie. But Mirnyi believes expectations can cause paralyzing pressure on players.

“The fact that they (U.S. Davis Cup Team) are playing at home, they are expected to win,” Mirnyi said. “There will be much more support for them so that makes it much tougher for them to play. They must feel like they are under pressure.”

Mike Bryan would probably prefer pressure to the pain that has plagued his hip periodically this season. Bryan said he feels pain-free now and expects to be completely healthy when the Bryan brothers attempt to extend their unbeaten Davis Cup streak against Mirnyi and Voltchkov in Saturday’s doubles match.

“My hip feels better than it ever has…I was doing sprints and two a days in Austin with the guys, I haven’t done that for a long time,” Mike Bryan said. “I’m feeling great. This summer I didn’t really get a chance to practice too much, but I feel I am going to be 100 percent by Saturday.”

McEnroe’s stated goal since succeeding older brother John as U.S. captain has been to build a team that will be a perennial power in Davis Cup play every year. If the current cast of American players continue their commitment to Davis Cup, the team may meet that goal.

“My goal is to get us back in the running to win the Davis Cup every year, and have a real good shot at winning it every year,” McEnroe said. “I think we are in that position now. We have a group of guys who are real passionate about winning this….The Davis Cup is an unbelievable event and it is worth a lot and by listening to these guys it means a lot to them. It is turning around in the U.S. I think because these guys a playing with pride for themselves and for their country.”