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The U.S. Davis Cup Team
© Ron Angle
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U.S. Davis Cup Captain Patrick McEnroe.
© Ron Angle
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U.S. Davis Cup Captain Patrick McEnroe shared his thoughts exclusively with USTA.com during the 2010 World Group First Round series against Serbia at the Belgrade Arena, March 5-7.
Entry No. 4: “We have a lot to look forward to”
Sunday, March 7 – I’m really proud of the way the guys played and competed and handled themselves this weekend.
We came up a little short but I think we have a lot to look forward to in U.S. tennis with these guys playing Davis Cup. Individually, I think competition like this will really help them. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them both make a push for the Top 10 this year – that’s how well I think they’re playing.
I was really pleased by what I saw from both guys, not only from a playing stand-point, but also from their attitude, competitiveness, and determination.
John had just an incredible three days of tennis. To be called in last-minute to play doubles and to come back after playing two tough four-set matches and make Novak Djokovic battle for five sets the whole way was just an awesome effort. He’s got a lot of guts and a lot of game as well. If John gets a little stronger and a little fitter, he’s going to be a serious force.
I said the other day that both John and Sam are loose guys personality-wise, but we saw some real emotion out there on the court today. I loved seeing all of that emotion from John that he shows.
He’s very positive, he doesn’t hang his head, he doesn’t get down on himself, and remains very focused. That’s the kind of attitude you want to see as a Captain, and the kind of attitude that thrives in Davis Cup.
He doesn’t have a win yet in singles, which is kind of amazing, but I think he’ll have a lot before it’s all said and done.
For all you U.S. Davis Cup fans concerned about the health of Mike Bryan, he was back on the team bench today, and feeling much better. He started feeling better Saturday night, and got a good nights’ sleep. Mike was pumped up that his brother got the doubles win. He was disappointed not to play this weekend, but I told him that there will be many more opportunities in the future.
Looking ahead, we’re back in the World Group Play-off for the first time since 2005. There’s so much depth in men’s tennis that we have to expect a tough series come September, especially if we play away, it’s that much trickier. But we wont worry about that too much until the time comes.
It would be nice to get a decent draw that includes a home match. Sam’s had to play two of the toughest Davis Cup matches you could ever play – Rafael Nadal in Spain and Novak Djokovic in Serbia, both on clay. It would also be great to give our fans back home an opportunity to see these young guys in person.
Speaking of the fans, thanks so much for your continued support of the team. We’ll see you soon. GO USA!
Entry No. 3: “Be ready”
Saturday, March 6 – When I finally had to make the call about an hour and a half before the match started to substitute John Isner in for Mike Bryan, it was tough for me not to see Mike be able to play.
Mike and Bob put so much into these weeks and matches, so it was disappointing for him. But at the same time, it was a great opportunity for John, who knew he was going to play after warming up with Bob.
I had told both John and Sam to possibly be ready when I woke up and found out that Mike had been sick throughout the night. John’s a pretty loose guy, overall, so I think that helped, along with the camaraderie on the team. Everyone really pulls for each other.
John stepped up and played a heck of a match. Bob did a great job leading the way emotionally, I thought, because he’s been there so many times before in doubles where you really have to mentally be in there every point.
It was a great effort by both guys. We got a couple of breaks that went our way that didn’t on Friday – the first-set breaker and the set point once again in the third.
It’s not going to be easy for John on Sunday. He’s going to be a little bit tired after playing singles on Friday and doubles on Saturday, but I find that he plays quite well when he’s tired, and he should be more comfortable out there.
He’s got a huge serve, and I really want him to play the match tomorrow on his terms because he can’t win a running contest against Novak Djokovic, who’s one of the best movers in the world.
We knew that John was a good doubles player. In fact, he and Sam Querrey won a doubles title a few weeks ago in Memphis. They have a long way to go to catch up to the Bryans.
When I thought about who matched up well with Bob in this situation on this surface, I felt that John was the right way to go. John’s a little more comfortable at net and showed that today, mixing in some good serves and forehands when we needed it.
Sam’s certainly capable of suiting up for doubles one of these years, too. I’d like to see him work on his net game a little bit, but the rest of his game is pretty darn good.
John’s improved so much in the last year. It’s funny, we had our wild-card playoff for the French Open, and John was playing in that less than a year ago. And look at him now in the top 20 in the world and playing Davis Cup. So he’s improved a ton. With Andy and James out, it was a no-brainer for me to pick him, but he’s earned it, playing well on big stages like the US Open and Australian Open.
Entry No. 2: “Happy with the performance, unhappy with the result”
Friday, March 5 – I was happy with the performance from the guys today and unhappy with the result.
Both John Isner and Sam Querrey were quite loose, and it’s nice that they happen to be great friends. They really enjoy Davis Cup. John’s a great competitor and so is Sam. I think sometimes you don’t really see that.
I was very happy with the way John handled his first match. He certainly played well. If he can just tighten a few things up in his game, I think he’s going to be a real tough guy to deal with. He’s just a good match player – he knows how to compete and a game-plan for what he wants to do out there on the court.
Today was just about executing at the big moment, and it just wasn’t quite there. But Viktor Troicki played a really solid match, competed well, and the crowd certainly helped him.
I’ve been fortunate over the years to have two guys in Andy Roddick and James Blake where I didn’t have to say much to them during changeovers. And I have to say, I really haven’t had to say much to John and Sam, either.
I tend not to talk too much, and try to assess what I think the guys need. So yeah, there was a little bit going on, but I was happy with the way that they responded and picked up on a couple of little things. My job is just to help them as much as I can.
Sam has come a long way with our USTA Player Development program over the last couple of years. It says a lot about the work that our coaches and trainers have done well with them.
Rodney Marshall, our strength and conditioning guy from Carson, has done a tremendous amount of work with Sam and it’s shown. Sam is moving as well as he ever has. His movement is exceptional. So now we need to keep going to try to keep getting them better.
John has been with us a little bit. He’s obviously got his own personal coach – Craig Boyton has done a tremendous job with him over the past year. We’ve tried to help him out in the fitness department.
I said to our guys after the match tonight that if we don’t have at least three guys in the Top 16 by the US Open, that we really haven’t done our jobs. I really believe that.
If these guys stay committed and we do our jobs well, I think they’ll be knocking on the door of the Top 10 by the end of the year.
Tomorrow is going to be a really tricky match for the Bryans. The Serbs are playing with house money up 2-0. The Bryans have spent even more time preparing this week on the practice court than they normally do. They’ve been crossing every “t” and dotting every “i” to make sure they’re ready for this match.
Entry No. 1: “Keep him calm”
Thursday, March 4 – Welcome back, U.S. Davis Cup fans, to the Captain’s Blog. The team is really excited to begin a new campaign and try to win the Cup again.
As you know, we have a new-look roster for the 2010 season. Andy Roddick and James Blake are taking the year off, and it’s exciting for me to see the young guys come in and get the opportunity. I’m pretty energized by what I see.
Obviously, each guy is a little bit different, how you handle each player. But that’s always been the case, even with Andy and James over all these years. Dealing with different personalities is part of the job. I’m excited to see how these guys play in such a big atmosphere.
So we feel good with the team we have. We know that Andy and James will support us, but our mentality is that this is our team for the year. These guys have proved that they deserve the chance. We hope that we have more matches to play this year if we can sneak through this one.
The draw today worked out pretty well for us. I never get too hung up on the draw, but the big question – who Serbia was going to play in the second singles role – was answered.
We kind of expected Viktor Troicki to play. He’s a big hitter with a big game, but John Isner’s looked really good. He’s had a great week of practice and looks pretty relaxed, so obviously my job is to keep him calm, and he’ll be fine.
It’ll be interesting to see how John and Sam Querrey perform on a big international stage. It’s a change for them, but I think they’ll do well. Sam played in Davis Cup competition for us a couple of years ago against Spain in Madrid, and that was a great experience for him.
John thrives in the big-match atmosphere – he’s shown that in his young career already. I think the fact that he played a lot of college tennis will help him get somewhat ready for the crowd. It’ll be a bigger crowd here than down at the University of Georgia, but I think he’ll handle it well.
Thinking about the doubles match on Saturday, I think the twins are ready. They know that this is going to be one of their toughest Davis Cup matches in doubles, so I’m sure they’ll plan accordingly. It’s certainly a great challenge for them. Zimonjic has had a lot of success against a lot of different people; he’s a flat-out great doubles player. He’s not playing here with his regular partner, but whomever Serbia puts out there with him would be a tough out for us.
We’re obviously the underdog here, playing away against a tough team, but we’re looking forward to it.