Getty
Beneath the shifting surface that has sometimes served as the tennis equivalent of a fault line for team USA, James Blake will try to create a sense of stability tomorrow.
The 17th-ranked Blake will try to stake the United States' to a winning start when he takes on 6-foot-10 ace master Ivo Karlovic in the opening match of the USA's Davis Cup quarterfinal on the red clay of the 4,000-seat Zatika Sports Hall in Porec tomorrow.
The draw for this weekend's tie was conducted today and it pits Blake against Karlovic followed by Mardy Fish facing Marin Cilic in Friday's second singles match.
The 23rd-ranked Fish has replaced former Boca Raton housemate Andy Roddick on the squad. Roddick, who withdrew from the tie citing a strained hip flexor after pouring every piece of himself into a 5-7, 7-6(6), 7-6(5), 3-6, 16-14 loss to Roger Federer. Roddick had played in 18 straight Davis Cup ties....
In their lone prior meeting, the 15th-ranked Cilic beat Fish, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, on hard court in the 2008 New Haven final. Fish will start his first Davis Cup singles match since he lost to Carlos Moya and beat Tommy Robredo in the United States' loss to Spain in the 2004 Davis Cup final contested on a clay court before a record crowd in Seville, Spain. Fish is 4-4 in Davis Cup singles matches, including a 2-2 mark on clay.
Saturday's doubles match pairs twins Mike and Bob Bryan against Karlovic and Lovro Zovko.
Read the rest...
The only other time I can even remember Roddick missing Davis Cup was back in early 2003 after he injured his wrist in that epic Australian Open quarterfinal.
Who did we play?
Croatia.
Away.
On clay.
History is redundant.
0 comments:
Post a Comment