Renewed Emphasis On Davis Cup Paying Dividends For U.s.

Although a round of Davis Cup play lasts only three days, Boris Becker used to say that it took three weeks out of a player’s calendar — one week to prepare, one week to play, and one week to recover from what can be an emotionally draining international tennis experience.

Add the fact that Davis Cup is spread throughout an entire season, and a top player can have second thoughts about committing to an event that isn’t always broadcast live on American television. Pete Sampras did. So did Michael Chang, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Jimmy Connors, citing everything from wear and tear to conflicts with Grand Slams to infringements upon personal time.

It’s a situation that’s often left the United States undermanned in a tournament many other nations treat as a priority, and is a big reason why the Americans haven’t won a Davis Cup title in nine years. But this year, the top U.S. player isn’t a second-line substitute, but the No. 2 player in the world. How much does Andy Roddick care about Davis Cup? He hosted a U.S. team camp before this weekend’s semifinal against Belarus, and ripped the International Tennis Federation on Friday for making him attend a post-match press conference while teammate Mardy Fish was on the court.

To the top American players of today, Davis Cup is no longer something that’s in the way of a larger goal. Roddick’s enthusiasm is evidence of a renewed emphasis on the worldwide event, one that’s producing results. Saturday’s doubles victory by Bob and Mike Bryan at the Family Circle Tennis Center clinched the best-of-five semifinal victory, and sealed the Americans” first trip to the final since 1997.

“I think we”re in a real good position now,” U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe said. “Luckily, we”ve got a group of guys here who are very passionate about playing and supporting the team and playing Davis Cup. The bottom line is, you”ve got to get the best guys to play. If you can do that, get guys who are close to the top, you”ve got a decent chance.”

While players like Sampras, Agassi, Chang and Courier were regular Davis Cup competitors — Agassi is second on the all-time singles victory list with 30 — their participation in the event was never considered automatic. U.S. team rosters varied wildly even within the same Davis Cup competition; captain John McEnroe had Pete and Andre for a second-round win over the Czechs in 2000, but was forced to fall back on Chris Woodruff and Jan-Michael Gambill in a quarterfinal loss to Spain.

Younger brother Patrick has brought some stability, and will likely have the same lineup for the December final against Spain or France that he had for a quarterfinal win over Sweden and the semifinal victory over Belarus. Cliff Drysdale, who competed in 45 Davis Cup matches for his native South Africa and is calling the action this weekend for ESPN2, said Patrick has raised the profile of Davis Cup among the top American players of today.

“It means a lot more to them, and credit Patrick McEnroe for that. He’s a friend of mine, so I’ve got a conflict here. But he’s done it. It’s part of what these guys consider to be the most important tournaments of the year,” Drysdale said.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that this group who are playing tennis now for the U.S. in Davis Cup will stay on the Davis Cup team and not come to the conclusion that did Agassi and Sampras and Connors and (John) McEnroe, the guys who preceded them, which was that if they played Davis Cup they would hurt their chances on the tour. Now, I think it does sometimes hurt their chances. But I think they will pay that price.”

Patrick McEnroe believes players of the Agassi-Sampras era deserve more credit for their participation in Davis Cup, adding that they were passionate about the tournament when they agreed to play. But the players on his current roster take that passion to another level. Roddick especially thrives in Davis Cup’s rock-and-roll atmosphere, and wants to own every U.S. singles record before his career is over. James Blake, a member of the 2001 team out with an injury, is in town just to watch.

“These guys want to play, and they get along with each other, which helps, and they just love playing Davis Cup,” McEnroe said. “You put that together. We”re not the only country that’s had issues with top players playing Davis Cup, whether it’s the schedule, injuries, etc. We can go on and on.”

Along the way, a tournament some once considered a distraction or an afterthought has emerged as a priority.

“When you play for your country, it’s always something different,” Fish said. “You play for the USA, you play for your teammates, it’s a little bit different than even the Olympics. You get to sit on the sideline and cheer the guys on, and it’s nice to have such a good supportive cast. This has been an event that I personally grew up watching on TV and dreamed about playing in, and to be part of it and to be part of the whole team atmosphere is exactly what I had anticipated it would be.”