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3/4/10 4:30 PM | Ricky Dimon
Led by John Isner, Sam Querrey, and the Bryan Brothers, the United States Davis Cup team will kick off its 2010 Davis Cup campaign this weekend in Serbia. The Americans face a tough task in the form of Novak Djokovic.
The first-round Davis Cup tie between the United States and Serbia is set to begin on Friday in Belgrade, and while the Serbian squad looks familiar, a new era is underway on the American side.
Gone--at least for this year--are veterans Andy Roddick and a slipping James Blake. Taking their places are up-and-comers John Isner and Sam Querrey, who recently played each other in the Memphis final and then teamed up hours later to win the doubles title.
Although his team is a considerable road underdog against the formidable Serbs, U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe must like what he has been seeing from Isner and Querrey of late. Both players currently register at career-high rankings, with Isner having just broken into the Top 20 for the first time on the strength of his Memphis runner-up finish, a title in Auckland, and a fourth-round showing at the U.S. Open. Querrey is two spots behind at 22nd in the world.
"It’s exciting for me to see the young guys come in and get the opportunity," McEnroe wrote in a Thursday blog entry. "I’m pretty energized by what I see. We feel good with the team we have. These guys have proved that they deserve the chance."
The Serbs will counter with world No. 2 Novak Djokovic and 35th-ranked Viktor Troicki. Djokovic is coming off a successful title defense in Dubai and his team will be counting on him to provide a pair of points in the singles rubbers.
Barring a monumental upset of Djokovic on either Friday or Sunday, American doubles specialists Bob and Mike Bryan will have to take care of business against Nenad Zimonjic and--as of now--Janko Tipsarevic. Like each of the Bryans, Zimonjic is one of the best doubles players in the world but he will be up against the odds without standard partner Daniel Nestor (who was actually born in Serbia but is only a Canadian citizen).
In addition to taking the doubles point, the key for McEnroe and company is to score two victories over Troicki; Isner in the opening rubber on Friday and Querrey in the final rubber on Sunday. As long as Troicki can secure just one point, however, Serbia should treat its fans to a win and advance to the 2010 Davis Cup quarterfinals.
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Go USA........you can do it without A-Rod and Blake, you got the BB twins.
AceIt , 3/4/10 7:06 PM
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Too bad this is on clay. I still think both giants can take out Troicki and ,with a Bryan brothers win, capture a 3-2 win for the USA. Djoker could be in the process of tiring himself out as he looked pretty pooped at the end of Doha. He complains about the long ATP calendar but signs up for too many tournaments. Better be careful.
chr18 , 3/4/10 7:06 PM