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3/5/09 8:14 PM | Ricky Dimon
Without world No. 2 Roger Federer at its disposal, an underdog Switzerland team heads into Birmingham, Alabama to face the host United States in a 2009 Davis Cup World Group opening-round showdown.
Roger Federer's absence from this weekend's first-round Davis Cup tie between Switzerland and the United States put a major dent in the hype surrounding the event, but did far more damage to his Swiss team's chances.
With Federer nursing a minor back problem, the Swiss team now consists of Stanislas Wawrinka, Marco Chiudinelli, Stephane Bohli, and Yves Allegro and is a significant underdog in Birmingham, Alabama this weekend. The United States, meanwhile, is fully loaded with a normal squad of Andy Roddick, James Blake, and Bob and Mike Bryan.
Roddick's current form only makes Switzerland's task even tougher. Ranked No. 6 in the world, Roddick is flourishing under new coach Larry Stefanki so far this season. He reached the the semifinals of the Australian Open before falling to Federer and most recently won an ATP 500 event in Memphis.
Blake has been struggling recently, but so too has Wawrinka, who is Switzerland's go-to guy and the team's only player in the Top 100 now that Federer is missing. Perhaps some good news for the Swiss foursome is that Wawrinka will play Blake in the opening singles rubber on Friday afternoon. That could be Switzerland's best chance of putting a point on the scoreboard.
Roddick will play Chiudinelli in the second singles rubber, while the Bryan Brothers are scheduled to face Wawrinka and doubles specialist Allegro on Saturday.
If nothing else, Switzerland at least has a chance of getting off to a good start. Wawrinka is in a must-win situation against Blake, and even if he does prevail, it's hard to imagine the U.S.A. being extended to a fifth rubber on Sunday.
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