The Panda Bear wrote: I'll be thought of as a lunatic when I say this (and rightly so), but I want us to play on clay if we draw Australia.
Both Andy and Tim will have a good chance on the dirt against Hewitt. Even Morgan will beat Guccione...
By the way, are there clay courts in Britain which are good enough to host a DC tie?
I wouldn't take the risk. Hewitt has improved on clay and he gave Nadal possibly his toughest test at Roland Garros along with Federer (he lost
2-6 7-5 4-6 2-6 and he was impressive in the earlier rounds)
I think they will probably play on a slow indoor hardcourt if they drew Australia??
I reckon, a team of Andy, Henman, JAmie Murray and Baker/Bloomers should be able to... beat Romania despite it being an away test Croatia especially if its a home fixture, but if Ancic recovers and the tie takes place in Croatia (and presumably a FAST carpet) they'd be HEAVY favourites. convincingly beat Australia considering its at home and the Aussies are a significantly weaker team than they used to be beat Czech Rep but it'll be a tough fixture - it's got 3-2 either way written all over it possibly beat Switzerland but if Fed plays they'll struggle.. should beat Belarus, Austria, Slovak Rep, Mexico, Korea and Brazil The tie that i think is the toughest is against Chile considering its away and they'll play it on a slow clay. Gonzo will most likely be too tough for Both Andy and TIm on the dirt and Massu could sneak a win as well.
If we don't get Chile or Croatia we'll go through IMO.
I reckon team GB are odds on to make the World Group.
mkkreuk wrote: The Panda Bear wrote: I'll be thought of as a lunatic when I say this (and rightly so), but I want us to play on clay if we draw Australia. Both Andy and Tim will have a good chance on the dirt against Hewitt. Even Morgan will beat Guccione... By the way, are there clay courts in Britain which are good enough to host a DC tie?I wouldn't take the risk. Hewitt has improved on clay and he gave Nadal possibly his toughest test at Roland Garros along with Federer (he lost 2-6 7-5 4-6 2-6 and he was impressive in the earlier rounds)I think they will probably play on a slow indoor hardcourt if they drew Australia??
Very true, but Hewitt will have a great chance of winning both rubbers on other surfaces. Let's not forget how much he loves Tim.
And Guccione will have a good chance against Tim on indoors. Doubles could go either way!
On clay we should win against Guccione on both occasions and at least one of Tim and Andy should beat Hewitt. And then there's doubles.
And what if Andy or Tim gets injured? Guccione won't be an easy task for Boggo, Bloomers or Baker on indoors. Boggo or Baker will have a very good chance against him on clay.
But it's no point discussing this. Let's face it - we are too orthodox to choose clay.
Of all tyrannies a tyranny exercised for the good of its victim may be the most oppressive.... those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience
According to the official Davis Cup website it's Wednesday. To quote....
World Group Play-offs line-up complete Brazil, Peru, Japan, Korea, Great Britain, Israel, Slovak Republic and Serbia, have booked their places in Wednesday's World Group play-off draw, after winning their respective Group I second round ties .
They will be joined by the eight losers from February's World Group first round ties: Chile, Romania, Croatia, Australia, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Belarus and Austria. The draw for the eight ties will take place at 1000 GMT on Wednesday 11 April at the ITF's headquarters.
Eight nations will be seeded according to the new ITF Davis Cup Nations Rankings which will be published on Tuesday 10 April.
The World Group play-off ties will take place on 21-23 September, the same weekend as the World Group semifinals
Home or away? Here's a list of the potential opponents for Great Britain along with where those ties would take place...
CHILE (World Group 1st rd loser): Venue: Away Last played: September 1983 Britain won 4-1 at Eastbourne and lead 3-0 in all meetings
ROMANIA (World Group 1st rd loser) Venue: Away Last played: July 1994 Britain lost 2-3 at Didsbury and stand level at 4-4 in all meetings
CROATIA (World Group 1st rd loser) Venue: By lot The two nations have never previously met in Davis Cup competition
AUSTRALIA (World Group 1st rd loser) Venue: Home Last played: February 2003 Britain lost 1-4 in Sydney and trail 8-13 in all meetings)
CZECH REPUBLIC (World Group 1st rd loser) Venue: Home Last played: February 2000 Britain lost 1-4 in Ostrava but lead 3-2 in all meetings
BELARUS (World Group 1st rd loser) Venue: By lot The two nations have never previously met in Davis Cup competition
AUSTRIA (World Group 1st rd loser) Venue: Home Last played: September 2004 Britain lost 2-3 in Portschach but lead 7-3 in all meetings
SLOVAK REPUBLIC (Euro/Africa Zone qualifier) Venue: Home Last played: April 1995 Britain lost 0-5 in Bratislava and trail 0-1 in all meetings
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Of all tyrannies a tyranny exercised for the good of its victim may be the most oppressive.... those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience