Davis Cup 2014 - World Group Round 1 - 31 Jan-2 Feb - USA v GB

Spectator · All-time great

RE: Davis Cup 2014 - World Group Round 1 - 31 Jan-2 Feb

huntley93 · Strong Club Player

underdogs in doubles, feels like the first time ever! would fancy our chances against whoever plays at 2 for them if evo is in form

steven · Tennis legend

Spectator wrote:
Mr Murray is clearly a little less sanguine than most commentators:

Piers Newbery ‏@piersnewbery 5h

GB away to USA in 2014 @DavisCup. Tough but could be worse. Where to get the 3rd point against Isner, Querrey & the Bryans? 31 Jan - 2 Feb.

Andy MurrayVerified account ‏@andy_murray

@piersnewbery do we go into the tie with a 2 zero head start? Or are you just assuming beating 6ft 10 guy with rocket serve is a given?

To be fair to Piers, I'm sure he doesn't think Andy beating Isner is a foregone conclusion, but there's only so much you can fit into 140 characters and it's hard (though not impossible) to see a scenario in which we could win if Andy didn't win his two singles rubbers, so he was just asking 'out loud' the question most people would be asking themselves.

steven · Tennis legend

Fascinating - http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/2013_Davis_Cup_RFP_-_Semifinals1.PDF - the USTA invites bids for Davis Cup ties before the previous round has taken place and asks potential venues to pay for the privilege ...

john · Top national player

wolf wrote:
philwrig wrote:
Interesting, assuming Andy is fit it should be a humdinger of a tie, and hopefully the right result. The Bryan's are just about unbeatable at DC level, so we are definitely underdogs, but ones with a reasonable shout.
They've lost both the matches they've played this year.

Wow, didn't know that.

I think if Andy plays the doubles, we have a chance. Let's face it, the Bryans and indeed nearly all the "top" doubles players in the world are only at the top because the real top doubles players, ie the top singles players, don't play doubles.

Anyone really think that if Andy were to pair with, say, Thomas Berdych and play doubles all year, that they wouldn't be the number one pairing in the world? Andy and any of our top doubles players will give the annoying twins a run for their money. I'd be more worried about Isner in the singles. Some might not agree, but that guy has balls of steel, some huge pressure serving when he needs it, and is very very tough to beat on a US hard court.

philwrig · Hall of fame

wolf wrote:
philwrig wrote:
Interesting, assuming Andy is fit it should be a humdinger of a tie, and hopefully the right result. The Bryan's are just about unbeatable at DC level, so we are definitely underdogs, but ones with a reasonable shout.
They've lost both the matches they've played this year.

There you go, the wierdness of sport, having their best year on tour ( pretty sure about that !), yet lost both matches in 5 sets. Hadn't been beaten since 2008 before that though.

I'd probably give any GB pairing though no more than a 25% chance of success.

steven · Tennis legend

Just a thought - if the US decide against clay and put us on a super-slick hard court to suit their big servers, might Dom the Bomb be an option for the doubles? (assuming Colin & Ross are playing together again by then but not up to full speed at that stage)

indiana · Tennis legend

Yes, maybe an option, though ideally I'd want our best pair playing, i.e. Andy and Colin, if Andy feels willing and able and Leon feels he is able.

paulisi · Tennis legend

Didn't see the full draw, but Serbia v Switzerland would be a humdinger if all the big names came out to play.

Spectator · All-time great

To be fair to Piers, I'm sure he doesn't think Andy beating Isner is a foregone conclusion, but there's only so much you can fit into 140 characters and it's hard (though not impossible) to see a scenario in which we could win if Andy didn't win his two singles rubbers, so he was just asking 'out loud' the question most people would be asking themselves.

Indeed. And I didn't include that as a comment on Mr Newbery (who seems to be quite a good commentator, and whose quote I gave primarily to show context), but more because I think Mr Murray is right that the general assumption - often expressed more fully - that he would win both matches against the US is perhaps overstating the ease of such an endeavour. Mr Murray's quote itself shows some really positive attributes: I like the fact that he respects other players and has no sense of standing on his own importance (how many top players would openly say something that implied they might not win? And I don't mean the anodyne "Well, he is playing very well, and is a very tough player, and I'll have to play my best ....") But the tendency towards pretty biting sarcasm - even though it doesn't seem to be accompanied by malice - must make him occasionally a bit uncomfortable to be close to!

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

I actually quite like this match up. I think it will fire up the team and will be one of those brilliant if we win, not a disaster if we lose ties in the press where a lesser team or a home tie could have built up the pressure unnecessarily.

Assuming they don't put us on clay this is a much more winnable tie than last time against Argentina and I really don't think Andy would have to play doubles for us to beat the Bryans. I can't remember specifics and am too lazy to look it up but I'm sure most of our doubles players have beaten the Bryans before in various combinations. Whilst they are clearly very very good players they are not and have never been completely invincible.

All in all I think it will be a great weekend of high quality tennis.

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

P.S. thanks for the twitter quote spectator. I agree Andy's response shows a respect for his opponents that is great to see in one so highly ranked.

Helen40 · Grand Slam Champion

steven wrote:
Fascinating - http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/2013_Davis_Cup_RFP_-_Semifinals1.PDF - the USTA invites bids for Davis Cup ties before the previous round has taken place and asks potential venues to pay for the privilege ...

Wow, that's really interesting. It gives me more insight into the pressure on the USO to have super Saturday (I'm happy it's gone though), and why the Beeb can't afford it.

It's a shame the tennis has got so commercialized.

wolf · Tennis legend

steven wrote:
Just a thought - if the US decide against clay and put us on a super-slick hard court to suit their big servers, might Dom the Bomb be an option for the doubles? (assuming Colin & Ross are playing together again by then but not up to full speed at that stage)

I would have thought they would pick a court that would suit the Bryans as surely that match is key to the tie. When they played Serbia in the quarter-finals this year they put it at altitude in Boise and they ended up losing the doubles because Zimonjic & Bozojlac were serving bombs and they just couldn't get into any rallies.

john · Top national player

I can plausibly see Jack Sock playing singles in this tie over Querrey. I'm quite convinced by Sock, I believe he is heading for somewhere near the top, and if Querrey doesn't pick up his form and Sock continues his progress, there could be a changing of the guard.