Davis Cup 2014 - World Group Quarter-Final - 4-6 Apr - ITA v GB

A1 tennis academy · Satellite level

RE: Davis Cup 2014 - World Group Quarter-Final - 4-6 Apr - ITA v GB

A1 tennis academy · Satellite level

Leon's body language says it all we have blown it !

BeefyDeedz · Pro player

A1 tennis academy wrote:
Leon's body language says it all we have blown it !

I was sure that there is another 3-5 sets to play but I must have stepped into a black hole.

A1 tennis academy · Satellite level

RJA wrote:
Well I am afraid to say that some rather puffed up and ignorant British pundits have been badly exposed. The arrogant belief that Murray was somehow a clear favourite for this match had no basis in reality. Fognini is a very fine clay court player and all those who expressing surprise at how well he played are merely demonstrating their own ignorance.

Sadly it looks like as well as team A1 benefiting from

Some expert pundits on this forum that Leon could benefit from it & certainly Mr Lloyd problem is with John it appears that a little knowledge is dangerous .

For the commies to say that Andy would not hv benefited from a rest defies all logic . As I said before on this forum the only common denominator with GB team captains for club & country is that they rarely put there best teams out !

On a personal selfish note it's helped me get 6 consecutive team promotions

Sussex div 11 ( I was playing ) then I dropped myself for 5 years to get to national tier Let me tell you it would not have happened if the opposing captains had regularly put their best teams out !!!

steven · Tennis legend

No doubt Andy would have benefited from a rest (so I agree that if JL said he wouldn't have, that's silly) but if he hadn't played yesterday, we might have lost the doubles (especially if Fognini had found some of today's form yesterday) and Andy might then have lost today anyway - at his best, Fognini is one of the best clay court players in the world at the moment and he showed that today despite having not shown it at all earlier in the tie.

DF · Tennis legend

Back on serve. James to serve 3 - 4.

Still on the first set

DF · Tennis legend

and he's broken back again!
4 - 5

DF · Tennis legend

Rain. Play suspended

LouieG · County player

Come on James, compose and sort your serve out during the hopefully short break!

DF · Tennis legend

Franc and Germany now tied at 2 - 2 as Tsonga has just won

Helen40 · Grand Slam Champion

Gutting interview with Andy. He was almost in tears

A1 tennis academy · Satellite level

John Lloyd done a 360 degree turn Andy now might have been tired but then effectively t admitted that Andy certainly picked the team when he was captain

I quote John - You don't say no to your no1 but it's ok not to pick your no2 ?

Evo is a big occasion player and has beaten top 20 players , far more talented and rapid around the court .

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

steven wrote:
No doubt Andy would have benefited from a rest (so I agree that if JL said he wouldn't have, that's silly) but if he hadn't played yesterday, we might have lost the doubles (especially if Fognini had found some of today's form yesterday) and Andy might then have lost today anyway - at his best, Fognini is one of the best clay court players in the world at the moment and he showed that today despite having not shown it at all earlier in the tie.

I agree. And with RJA. Fognini was favourite today (though not by a huge margin) - take your wins when you can - no guarantee that Colin and Ross would have won yesterday - 20/20 hindsight is a wonderful thing.

NB Enjoying Dom's commentary - and his comment yesterday that his singles career most certainly wasn't over (though he wouldn't chose clay!!!!).

Edit: A1, the number one is in a different stratosphere. The numbers two and three are within spitting range of each other. Dan Evans is, yes, more talented. But he's not a clay player. I think Leon's choice makes perfect sense. James may not win. But we'll never know whether Evans would have done.

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Sunday 6th of April 2014 01:41:22 PM

freerider · Futures level

A1 tennis academy wrote:
John Lloyd done a 360 degree turn Andy now might have been tired but then effectively t admitted that Andy certainly picked the team when he was captain
I quote John - You don't say no to your no1 but it's ok not to pick your no2 ?
Evo is a big occasion player and has beaten top 20 players , far more talented and rapid around the court .

Ward is better on clay though

indiana · Tennis legend

Hmm, I didn't see anyone here yesterday saying that Andy / Colin was anything other than the doubles selection they would have gone for.

Re Jonny Marray, Gary, I love the guy and his winning Wimbledon was epic, but it does not and should not make him a shoo in as a Davis Cup selection among many very good doubles players. We also had a year of Fleming / Marray never really being that convincing as a pair, actually less so than I expected. In my view to state, apparently unreservedly, that a Fleming / Marray partnership would have also won the doubles yesterday is absurd. They might have, but they would have needed to be absolutely excellent. In truth, by all appearances, Leon made an excellent doubles selection.

As for today, Fognini once again proved what an excellent player he is, and clearly most particularly on clay, and in normal circumstances Andy playing an additional set and two games yesterday on top of them both playing the 4 sets of doubles should not have made Andy significantly more weary. Maybe that pesky virus did catch up with him a bit, but that was maybe an unknown to everybody. Ultimately though, Fognini beating Murray on clay in Italy, particularly this year, could never be classed as any particular shock.

Truth is this always looked a dodgy match on paper, and I kind of just leaned to Fognini before the tie, which is largely why I made Italy slight favourites overall. From what we had witnessed overall in Naples, I came round to the view that Andy was actually about 60/40 favourite for today. But, sadly, it was not to be.

Certainly Italy were strong favourites before the final rubber, and to my mind still are favourites, but James has shown too often how he can raise his game in the Davis Cup environment to be counted out.

Wiining this first set would help ! Go, James !