Davis Cup - Euro Africa Zone I - GBR v Ukraine 6-8 March 2009

Drew · Feb 20, 2009

RE: Davis Cup - Euro Africa Zone I - GBR v Ukraine 6-8 March 2009

Count Zero · Tennis legend

edit.

-- Edited by Count Zero at 17:14, 2009-02-20

Drew · Feb 20, 2009

Count Zero wrote:

edit.

-- Edited by Count Zero at 17:14, 2009-02-20

In case you cant find it....

Week 8 - Davis Cup Play-offs - NTC

Drew · Feb 26, 2009

Likely scenario if both Andy Murray and Stakhovsky miss due to injury ?

Regardless of his record dont we need someone who has actually played a live rubber to be in the team ?

IMO...my team.

Great Britain

Alex Bogdanovic WR190
Josh Goodall WR196
Chris Eaton WR390 or James Ward WR288*
Ross Hutchins

Discounted Blommers due to the DC playoffs...otherwise he would be in my team*.

Ukraine

Illya Marchenko WR227
Sergei Bubka WR270
Dolgopolov Jr., Oleksandr WR314
Ivan Sergeyev WR402

We would be favourites in this scenario but if Stakhovsky makes and Andy doesnt then we are in trouble !

Drew · Feb 27, 2009

We at last have been granted media accreditation for the DC Tie.

It was in doubt due to the amount of written press / Scottish press wanting in. We were quite low down on the pecking order. However I think that due to the fact that they know us (me) and that I (representing us) have always acted in a professional manner has swung it.

So I will be there from Thursday PM through the Sunday PM regardless.

Since I live an hour from the arena I wont be staying in Glasgow.

The only down things is that it is very doubtful that I would get a seat in the arena. Therefore Steven and Sally from am.com are doing there best to get me 3 tickets (Which I will pay for of course).

Can people let me know what they would like me to do most....?

Do you want me to concentrate on match reports?...or on press conferences ?

Do you want me to have lots and lots of different threads for all the matches / interviews etc or just have a thread for each day ?

I am your reported so please let me know.

I will sort the Dc page on bt.net and get a new banner up over the weekend.

Drew

-- Edited by Drew at 23:09, 2009-02-27

Drew · Feb 28, 2009

Just a short note on Ross Hutchins. He is very happy with his current form and his back is fine and raring to go in Glasgow.

If he has time we will speak to me over the DC weekend....if not he has promised a telephone interview after.

He appreciates all the support he gets !

-- Edited by Drew at 00:09, 2009-02-28

steven · Tennis legend

Drew wrote:
Likely scenario if both Andy Murray and Stakhovsky miss due to injury ?

...

We would be favourites in this scenario but if Stakhovsky makes and Andy doesnt then we are in trouble !

I think a GBR without Andy v UKR without Stakh scenario would be fascinating, but I get the impression that Stakh is very likely to play.

JL's going to have to be careful about team nominations though - the original nominations have to be made 10 days before the draw, as we now know (and if made earlier, any of them can be changed up to that time) but only a maximum of two of those four nominations can be changed within 10 days of the draw, with a deadline of 2 hours before the draw, i.e. early on Thursday.

After that, only the four nominated players can be used in the singles and doubles rubbers of that tie whatever happens.

What this means is that once Wardy (from the original four nominations that appeared before the playoffs) has been replaced by Chris, only one more replacement will be possible, so if Andy and Ross have to pull out (hopefully not, obviously!), we'd only have three players.

To avoid that possibility, I assume James will be left as the fourth nominee and only replaced by Chris at the last moment, in case we end up needing both of them. It would have been 'interesting' had neither Josh nor James come through the playoffs and then Andy had pulled out too, but I guess it's almost certain that at least one of them would have been picked had there ended up being three slots left to fill.

Drew's selection would still work (since Ross and Josh were in the original four), but picking Boggo for a rubber he'd actually be odds on to win? - that was never going to happen.

Edit: good to hear that Ross is ok.

-- Edited by steven at 00:11, 2009-02-28

steven · Tennis legend

The Daily Mail thinks JL has abandoned his 'yoof' policy:

"Murray, suffering from a virus, has to decide if he is fit enough to travel to Glasgow or sit out the match. Great Britain captain John Lloyd will take Ross Hutchins, who has a doubles spot, Jason Goodall and Chris Eaton."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-1157723/Andy-Murrays-GB-spot-hinge-tests.html

Meanwhile, the Guardian quotes JL - the bit about Josh is the most interesting:

However should Murray be fit and well, the No2 singles spot will undoubtedly go to Goodall, 23, who is currently ranked No196, just behind Bogdanovic. "The one I was really pleased with was Josh, because he had the most to bitch about as the highest ranked player, and not being selected automatically," said Lloyd. "But he did the business, and showed he was the best out there. Very impressive." Lloyd said he would not call in the elder of the Murray brothers, Jamie, if Andy fails to make it. "If the news from Andy is bad then we can draft either Fleming or Ward in. I need the flexibility. If I had another injury in the singles, I would be really screwed if we had two doubles specialists in the team. This way we have options, because both Fleming and Goodall are good doubles players."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/feb/27/andy-murray-davis-cup-virus-john-lloyd-qualifiers

The Telegraph starts with:

"Should Andy Murray fail to recover from the ill-effects of a virus, the 'veteran of Britains Davis Cup team to face Ukraine could end up being Ross Hutchins, whose experience of the competition is to have played two doubles rubbers and lost both in straight sets."

Apparently, if Chris played a live singles rubber, he would be the lowest-ranked Brit to have done so in DC history. (well ok, since the rankings started in 1973 anyway)

Also: "Everything about Davis Cup tennis is new and fresh for Goodall, as he has never even attended a tie as a spectator, let alone as a hitting-partner or as an orange-boy; now, suddenly, the 23-year-old from Basingstoke could find himself being Britains first singles nomination.

Goodall joked ahead of the trip to Glasgow: Do we have to take our passports?

Can we assume that the Scots will now be cheering for the Ukraine? (or will they take it as a compliment?)

Shhh · Challenger level

Drew, well done on getting in for press. I personally would like you to concentrate on press conferences and the like, maybe what you here from jouno's or anyone from LTA (players, coaches etc). I am sure your match reports would be a good read but I would look to you as a source of information that the main press wouldn't bother with.

Count Zero · Tennis legend

press conferences ideally drew - as we saw from the Austria the established press don't always report what's said fully.

steven · Tennis legend

Yes, most of us will be watching the matches - it's the questions the rest of the press don't ask and the detail of the answers that they can't be bothered to report where you come into your own.

Plus if the Muzzanator's not there, it might be you and Neil on your own! (perhaps with some of the local press if Colin plays)

-- Edited by steven at 11:15, 2009-02-28

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

Make that four in favour of the press conferences.

OldEchoMan · Social player

Just thought I'd correct the Telegraph - something I do a lot of the time. Actually Alex Bogdanovic was No.459 when he played against Lleyton Hewitt in Australia in 2003 so his ranking was a good deal lower than Eaton's. Thought you've had beaten me to that everybody........

steven · Tennis legend

Thanks OEM, well spotted ... but oh dear, the Count's never going to let me hear the end of that one. ashamed

Writes out 100 times "I must remember never to believe anything I read in the press without checking it" wink

steven · Tennis legend

The Times on the DC tie and the possibilities if Andy doesn't play:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/tennis/article5822408.ece

I can't believe some of the stuff JL is reported to have said ashamed