The U.S. Fed Cup Team opened its 2010 season with a 4-1 victory over France in Lievin. U.S. Captain Mary Joe Fernandez led a team of Liezel Huber, Melanie Oudin, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Christina McHale and the U.S. next faces Russia in the semifinals in April. But during their time in Lievin, France a different team member blogged each day about the matches, their daily adventures, team bonding and more.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands, February 7, 2010

I was so excited and pumped for us to win today! To celebrate after dinner I had a French Connection with some great 20-year-old Armagnac, true French Armagnac mixed with a little amaretto to sweeten it up. We had a great win today, we clinched it 3-0 when Melanie beat Julie Coin, which was really nice. Go USA!

I thought I played pretty well this weekend. My singles yesterday was good, I grinded it out 7-6, 7-5 yesterday over Alize Cornet and she is a tough player on clay. She got a lot of balls back and it was only a couple points difference that swung the match.

In doubles today, Liezel and I did pretty well, we won 6-3, 6-2. It is good to play with a great doubles player as you talk about plays on the court and it is good experience. I was scheduled to play fourth singles as well but after we clinched it with Melanie’s win, Mary Joe asked me if I minded if Christina played and I said it was fine with me. She played really well and I think it was good experience for her.

Tonight to celebrate we had some great French food at Vasco’s here at the hotel. I had some duck, which I do not normally have, but it was pretty good and then had my French Connection!

But overall it was a great week of practice, a great weekend of tennis and we cannot wait to have a home tie in April!


Melanie Oudin - February 6, 2010

Today was the first day of matches and after Bethanie beat Alize Cornet in the first match, I defeated Pauline Parmentier in the second match 6-4, 6-4 so we are now 2-0 heading into the last day of play tomorrow! It was really great to win, especially playing my first match after losing at the Australian Open when I had three match points and it was such a tough loss for me. But being able to bounce back from that like I did today was really, really great. I did play the big points really well and I thought I served pretty well, I returned well when I needed to and I made her hit a lot of balls on the important points and I ended up pulling it through!

I was definitely nervous watching Bethanie’s match on the bench with the team because the first set was so long (it lasted over an hour) and it was so close, it could have gone either way. But Bethanie was able to win 7-6 (7), 7-5 and it was really great that she pulled out the win and I was able to go into my match knowing we were already up 1-0. I left the court after first set and got loose and stretched out, so I was ready to go after Bethanie’s match ended.

I now play the first match tomorrow against Cornet and it is nice to know that we are up 2-0. But I have never been in this position in Fed Cup before. In all of our ties last year, we were either tied 1-1 after the first day or trailing 0-2. I think it is going to let me calm myself down and be relaxed out there and it is not going to be in the back of my mind that if I lose this match, the tie is over and I think that is a really good thing and I will be able to be more confident and play strongly tomorrow. Wish me luck!


Christina McHale - February 5, 2010

We started the day with a practice before the official draw ceremony, where the lineups and order of play for this weekend were announced and I am now a member of the U.S. Fed Cup Team instead of a practice partner. I am replacing Shenay, who has a wrist injury and unfortunately cannot compete. I thought practice went really well this morning - I hit for about 50 minutes and then we played a lot of games. I think I am hitting pretty well and I feel ready. This whole week we have been practicing a lot – I was the first player here on Monday. The court plays well and I think it fits my game. This clay plays pretty fast and the balls bounce up high so it is in my strikezone.

I knew it was a possibility I would be officially named to the team today. Mary Joe had sat with me yesterday and said there was a chance I could be on the actual team and I could very well play. I told myself, ‘Oh Christina, maybe you are not. Don’t get too excited’ but after practice today, Mary Joe sat with me and said you are on the actual team. I was so excited!

Right now, I am not scheduled to play a match this weekend but I am going to practice tomorrow in the morning with Liezel and I am just going to prepare like I do have a match because who knows, I could play. So if I prepare as if I will play, I will have that mindset already, in case Mary Joe calls on me. But if I do not play, it is still a great experience here and if I do play, that is even better!


Bethanie Mattek-Sands - February 4, 2010

Hi Everybody! Today, we had a long day of two practice sessions but I think it was good and went really well. I think it was good for me to have a long day of practice and get used to the red clay. Before arriving here in Lieivn, I had not played on clay since last year’s French Open. But the tennis facility is nice and our hotel is really funky. I have enjoyed myself and the staff has been great. The hotel was definitely was not what I was expecting but very cool, There is a cemetery out back – Justin and I can see it out our window - it is a little creepy but I’m going with it! But so far it has been really good. We have had good food; good people here and I have had a great time.

After a few long days of practice, I am feeling a little stiff. The Australian Open was my first tournament back after taking a few months off with no tennis, no fitness, no therapy and I felt great. I am just feeling the aches and pains of starting competitive matches again. The hip that I had surgery on (and kept me out of the Fed Cup quarterfinal last year) is feeling great so I am excited to play this weekend.

I was able to keep my doubles up a little last year. I played doubles in Australia with Zi Yan and we did really well – we reached the quarterfinals - we are going to be playing Indian Wells and Miami together as well. I felt really good. I played in the singles qualifying draw and I felt really good, especially since they were my first matches back I was really happy with how I played. I came within a game of qualifying for the main draw, which was a little disappointing, but there are plenty of tournaments coming up and I think I have only improved since then.

Nadia Petrova and I played doubles together a lot last year and She is one of my good friends on tour. We talked a little bit in Australia, where she played doubles with Samantha Stosur. I know she wanted to focus on singles and sometimes that takes a lot out of you so doubles is kind of a second option. Hopefully we will defend some of the titles we won together last year, including Charleston and Stuttgart. Zi Yan and I have not put a full schedule together so I am open as far as partners go. Nadia and I beat the Williams sisters last year and had some good results so we are a good team as well.

But this weekend’s tie against the French team will be tough. We are playing on red clay and none of us have been practicing on it outside of the last few days but I think we can do well. We are in their country, it will be tough, and we will not have the crowd except for our cheering section. But I think our whole team is playing well. I have practiced with everyone and we are all playing really good tennis. I think they will be really good matches and we have a really good chance to win!

Bethanie

Shenay Perry - February 3, 2010

Hi Everyone! After Liezel's great leadoff blog yesterday, it is my turn today. The entire team has now arrived here in Lievin – we got here yesterday – and today was the first day of team practice, which I thought went pretty well. It was short this morning but we did do a few two-on-ones so it was a good, productive hit. I hit with both Melanie and Liezel and we did a few one-on-one circuit drills as well when one of us took a break.

This is the first time I have played Fed Cup since 2006 and my first with Mary Joe as captain but for me the team had already meshed before we even got here. This was the first day we have all been together but Bethanie and I both attended the same tennis academy as teenagers so we have been friends for a long time and I know both Melanie and Liezel pretty well. So I think it is going great so far with our team bonding.

Today was my first day out on the clay court at the stadium. It is indoors, which is a good thing since it poured rain yesterday and today. I think the surface is pretty similar to the one at Roland Garros. It plays a little quick, which I think will be good for us, and it had some good bounces for a clay court. As a whole, I feel all right on clay, I guess my results speak for themselves as I have played pretty decently on clay in my career. As long as I have the results, I feel comfortable!

I know the team has a tradition of playing Charades and/or Pictionary during Fed Cup week and I am a little nervous about it. I am just hoping someone will pick me for her team and if they do that I do not get booted for being too bad! I have heard there are plans in the works to play tonight for the first time so it looks like I will probably be forced into it. Wish me luck!

Shenay


Liezel Huber - February 2, 2010

Hey everyone!

What a great idea to have the entire team blog this week! I am up first....

Where shall I start? We left Melbourne, Australia on Sunday morning... We flew Melbourne-Auckland-LA-Houston and arrived home on Sunday evening. When I had booked our tickets the Fed Cup team hadn't been decided yet, so I had my return ticket home. This way I also could collect winter clothes, my Fed Cup attire and I thought it would be nice to sleep in my own bed for a night! In hindsight, not such a good decision! My body has taken a beaten with all the time changes that I have been through the past three days... It's Tuesday evening in Europe, Tuesday day in Houston and Wednesday morning in Australia. Nevertheless, I am so honored to be here and representing Team USA on our 2010 Fed Cup campaign!

It's very rare for me to travel alone. Tony, my husband and Roger, my coach travel year round with me. On the odd occasion, I do it. This week being one of them. I think the boys need a break and hope the are enjoying their week in Houston! I know Tony is already on-court and working hard at Huber Tennis Ranch. He loves it though! We have had a very busy year so far with lots of success. We had a great off-season in which we worked extremely hard. That was the key for us to a better start to the season. Don't let anyone ever tell you differently...hard work pays off :-)

I am so excited for this Fed cup week! We are playing against France in France. (Just dawned on me that I hadn't mentioned that we are in France! Sorry, it's the jet lag!) We are playing in a small town, two hours north of Paris. I haven't explored yet. It's going to be a great week with lots of wonderful memories - so is every Fed Cup tie! I can't wait!

It seems like we have a new team every tie. What I mean is that we never have all the same members on the team. That's just how it has worked out. We have always had such awesome teams and this time around another awesome team! Melanie Oudin was on the team all of 2009, Bethanie Mattek-Sands played in Brno in the tie against the,Czech Republic and now the rookie on the team is Shenay Perry. Our future Fed Cupper is Christina McHale. I love our captain, Mary Joe. If you know me, you know how much I LOVE playing for the USA! Go Team USA!

Before I say good night, I want to thank everyone for donating to the Haiti victims. How lucky are we to have what we have!

I wish all of you a very Happy New Year!

Go Team USA!

xoxoxo
Liezel