Davis Cup March 2009: Great Britain vs Ukraine tie

I can understand why you might be thinking this is an unusual choice at this point. Andy wasn't there, and we lost! But here's why I have been recently re-watching it on DVD.

Hopefully people on here will know that lower-ranked tennis does not equal boring tennis. At the very least, if it's not a showcase of the best tennis in the world, it can produce just as excitingly tight, competitive matches. So right off the bat, this doesn't have to be viewed as an unexciting choice just because the top guys aren't in it.

First rubber, Goodall vs Marchenko. We had Marchenko grinding from the baseline, Josh displaying some excellent net play; Josh's stunning fight backs and saving of match points, Marchenko on a roller coaster of emotions from jubilation plunging to despair, and back again; the swings between Marchenko's strength at the beginning of the sets and then Josh's battling back in the end of the set, leading us to a tight tiebreak at the end on all three occasions had me sitting on the edge of my seat! And both guys showed some truly fantastic shots at time - resounding crosscourt and down-the-line winners on the run from both of them, and Marchenko at one point scored a second serve ace (!) which I actually can't recall having seen with my own eyes before or since. A great contest between two similarly ranked players, and after Marchenko's victory it wasn't a surprise that he went on and is where he is now.

Second rubber, Eaton vs Stakhovsky. Definitely more of a disparity here, with Eaton the underdog. What a treat to see some old style serve-and-volley! There's few enough players who use that style anymore these days. It was really fascinating to see how Stakhovsky reacted to that as well; ultimately he was of course in charge of the match but it was tricky for him to wrap his head around playing against that! And some of Eaton's Wimbly gumption showed through as well, taking a set off Stakh and he definitely tackled the match with an unafraid attitude which was the right way to go.

Third rubber, the doubles, Rossco & Flembo vs Stakh and Junior. What a battle !!! Again, edge of the seat stuff, with everyone fighting so hard, and extra tension added in because GB had to win this one to stay in the tie. Stunning serving from Junior, absolutely thumping, and clever shot-making from Stakh, whilst Flembo & Hutchins at times even smarter in their plays. All the way to the final set and the final points - gripping stuff!

Fourth rubber the only damp squib for me. And then the fifth!! Eaton vs Marchenko. Eaton defeats a higher ranked opponent who has already defeated our number one fielded player?! There's that Wimbly gumption again. Another cracker of a contest again as well, going the full three sets, and of course Eaton rescued GB from being serving a bagel in the tie.

The atmosphere throughout was really great, the crowd was really into it, and everyone was really friendly. It was also a wonderful opportunity to see players from the Challengers and Futures tier of the Tour play, which as we know is hardly ever given any media coverage at all, let alone national tv coverage on the top channel. They themselves were bright, amiable and interesting people. I have fond memories of the tie, it was a great time, and I loved being there.