i doubt it, baker will be ahead of evo. evo done ok but losing in straight sets depsite being a break up in both isn't good. even tho berankis is on form. JB has a chance at wimby and we have already seen the LTA going out of their way to help him with a Carson WC and then a Wimby WC despite not making the cut. Comapre to evo who has been bascilly cut adfrit (not quite afar adrift as boggo tho) .
-- Edited by Count Zero on Wednesday 16th of June 2010 09:15:23 PM
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I can't really see any other team than Wardy, Bakes, Flemski to be honest, but I don't think grass is Baker's best surface. At the moment Jamie would be the top string with Ward playing Ilhan on the first day and getting the nervey job of last rubber. This suits me fine after James's run at Eastbourne and his comparitively relaxed Wimbledon. Just wonder if the rankings will change to make Ward ahead of Baker after Eastbourne, or if Baker's Wimbledon appearance will keep him in top spot.
Re top ranked of James and Jamie, James would need to reach the Eastbourne final to overtake Jamie.
Jamie is on 182 points, and James with his quarter final goes ro 136 pts , semi would be 181 pts ( i.e. 1 point short ) and final 241 points. So just needs to beat Dolgopolov and Llodra / Simon
By the way, as I understand it, a MD WC doesn't get any points at Wimbledon until he wins a match.
-- Edited by indiana on Thursday 17th of June 2010 12:38:03 PM
As a now non-relevant aside to my above post, Jamie will presumably lose his 18th counter of 3 points to be replaced by a mandatory Wimbledon score, so if he doesn't win a round at Wimbledon he will go down to 179 points.
Josh though, as we know, didn't win the Eastbourne quarter final match that would have taken him to 181 points, and hence above Jamie.
i myself see baker as def getting picked, but come to think about it, has he done anything of note this year?, lta certainly seem to be giving him special treatment, i have nothing against this, but why only him, when arguably ward evo boggo all performed above him this year
Re Boggo, should be there and seems they did want to pick him this time but Boggo declined. However, see multitudinous discussions about the why and the wherefores this situation has come about
Evo on pure results this season I agree is about on a par with Jamie, but he now seems in the bad books with the LTA too. Allegedly unproved ( and denied ) nightclub related assault allegations have a fair bit to do with this. Note they wouldn't even give him a qualifying WC for Wimbledon so there's no way he's in the LTA's minds for Davis Cup.
-- Edited by indiana on Thursday 17th of June 2010 06:15:47 PM
and Baker is definitely a better player in the big occasion by a mile. Evo lost us the tie against Lithuania with a very poor performance against Grigelis, who he went onto hammer weeks later so evidently just plays bad on the big stage. He's lost all his DC rubbers, so why would he deserve another straight away, i could definitely see him losing to a 2nd player from Turkey if it came down to the decider.
Evo needs a couple of years before he should be brought back into the frame for DC.
Let me say that I would certainly pick Baker over Evo for this Davis Cup tie and indeed at the time was very wary about his selection last time. And his temperament for such an occasion to me was and remains a serious concern.
I was just ageeing that in pure general results this year Evo does compare with Jamie, and I'd stand by that. Evo and Jamie I'd say have been just about equally good / disappointing. However, yes temperament and Evo's' previous Davis Cup match are very significant, which is what would side me with Jamie. But anyway as I suggest there is no way Evo was going to get picked this time.
-- Edited by indiana on Thursday 17th of June 2010 06:58:40 PM
I wouldn't pick Dan ahead of Jamie for Turkey but Dan leads 54-53 against Jamie in ATP points for this year!
The one thing i would mention is that Dan has had some encouraging results recently on his weaker surfaces (Futures final/semi on clay, Queens FQR/Wimbledon 2QR on grass) and that should stand him in good stand when he returns to his favoured hardcourts
Jamie though deserves his DC chance alongside Wardy
-- Edited by The Knight on Thursday 17th of June 2010 07:34:36 PM
Ricardas Berankis, of Lithuania, who helped to precipitate Britains Davis Cup downfall in March, qualified without dropping a set, and Marsel Ilhan, Turkeys No 1, who stands in Britains path in Eastbourne next month, also made the main draw.
I've just seen the first advert for the DC tie. Apparently Eurosport will be showing it. The advert is geared around getting behind the team and pulling out a win with a new captain in order to avoid relegation from Group II, and shows footage from the last tie in Flemski's doubles rubber.
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Ilhan is currently two sets to love down to Marcos Daniel (a man who turns up on a grass court purely for the first round losers check) - surely if Daniel can take two sets off him, Ward or Baker should be able to get three?