I agree it does feel a little strange that we are now guaranteed to be in the World Group next year. Just to make some of you feel really old, this is the first time GB have won a World Group match in my lifetime (or Andy's for that matter).
... and the last time we beat the US in the US, the UK's now oldest person was 3 years old, Edward VII was on the throne, no British man now alive had been born and the Wright brothers' first powered flight was still 4 months away!
A brilliant result whichever way you look at it, and it must be particularly sweet for Wardy and Flembo who have been virtually (if not quite) ever-present in the rise from near-oblivion to the last 8.
Italy like to spread their home DC ties about a bit - their last 7 have been in Turin, Naples, Milan, Prato, Genoa, Pesaro & Rome, so it's anyone's guess where our QF will be, though people are suggesting it may need to be in the south in order to be more certain of decent weather.
Under the DC rules, the Italians will have needed to give the ITF a provisional list of possible QF venues 15 days before R1 started (the LTA would have had to do the same re the potential Argentina tie) and need to sumit a final venue for approval/confirmation within 15 days after the R1 tie, so we should know around mid-February.
Finally, we should get 2593.75 ranking points for this tie (2000 for a WG R1 win + 75 bonus for beating a team ranked 5-8, all multiplied by 1.25 because it was an away win) - that more than doubles our total and would have been enough for 8th place at the end of last year, though the fact that the top 7 were miles ahead of the rest (so probably can't be caught this time even if they lost) and 5 of the unseeded teams beat top 8 seeds this weekend, it'll be touch and go whether it ends up being enough for a top 10 place when the rankings next get updated.
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GB on a shirt, Davis Cup still gleaming, 79 years of hurt, never stopped us dreaming ... 29/11/2015 that dream came true!
They mentioned last night that 11 players had played for Leon in Davis Cup. Andy M Jamie Baker Evo Wardy Jamie Murray Jonny Murray Colin Fleming Ross Hutchins Dom Inglot Ken skupski
that's 10 who was number 11
GB jump 7 places to 11th in the new Davis Cup rankings - a rise of 34 places since being 45th just over two years ago after the Croatia points came off
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GB on a shirt, Davis Cup still gleaming, 79 years of hurt, never stopped us dreaming ... 29/11/2015 that dream came true!
It gives a shout out to some of the "unsung heroes" and back room team, and the writer does a good job trying to "Articulate" the sense of team spirit.
Interesting watching the tie from this side of the Atlantic.
US TV (Tennis Channel) were desperately looking for positives - at one point Tracy Austin even said that Querrey can take a lot of positives out of this weekend, which is stretching things to limit, given his demise in both singles matches.
They also spent a large amount of time focusing on the absence of Isner and how that changed the tie and almost certainly the overall result - which I don't buy either.
Limited praise for Ward honestly - but happy to play up that Andy is almost unbeatable period so losing 3-1 isn't that bad after all. Poor analysis makes for poor TV - I live over here, so see it week in week out when Americans lose at any sport, but it was particularly bad this weekend.
It gives a shout out to some of the "unsung heroes" and back room team, and the writer does a good job trying to "Articulate" the sense of team spirit.
Interesting point on 'team spirit' - apparently Courier wasn't happy with his team - players or coaches/backroom staff - and got after them for being too quiet during matches on the sideline. By contrast the Brits were much more supportive and demonstrative with fist pumps and cheers.
The Tennis Channel kept drawing attention to the demeanour of the two 'benches' throughout.
I got the impression that Courier is a big head I don't like his interviewing skills at the Grand Slams. To me it is all about him and not the players he interviews I think he must look in the mirror several times a day. Agree Indy I don't think he was much inspiration to the US team
Hmm, I didn't notice the "man in suit" himself being much of a leader in creating a positive atmosphere for the USA.
Absolutely. I like Jim as a commentator (and enjoyed watching him as a player) but I thought he looked bored witless throughout the whole weekend.
Frankly, though, having chosen clay and then having to watch poor Sam lose his footing five times a game can't have been pleasant (but then, he;s the chief, you get the glory or take the blame).
Andy's comments about the choice of clay were inspired - politely lambasting the man - something along the lines of: 'I was surprised because I think that my movement is one of my strong points' followed by 'Sam's game obviously is not suited to the clay' - champion!
Goodness, it's SO satisfying to construct narratives where the deserving beat the undeserving.
The pre-match analysis: Murray was very likely to win both of his matches, and we were very likely to lose the doubles. So a GB win would likely require our No 2 to win a match. And this is what happened.
And why did it happen? Was it our sharp suits? And our bonding sessions playing "Articulate"? And - particularly - was it Leon Smith, our unique mixture of crafty tactician and inspirational manager?
Or is it a better explanation that (1) Isner didn't play, and (2) Wardy got lucky? (*)
Well, I'm only an ignorant pseudo-intellectual, so I don't know. But this is what Kahneman has to say:
"Success = talent + luck; great success = a little more talent + a lot more luck"
(*) Yes of course I know that one has to get to a certain level of excellence for luck to help one beat Sam Querrey at tennis ...
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"Where Ratty leads - the rest soon follow" (Professor Henry Brubaker - The Institute of Studies)