Country Cups (Davis Cup, Fed/BJK Cup)

[ponchi101]

The main reason I'm disliking this new format is that they got rid of 5-setters. IMO some of the best and thrilling moments of DC were linked to these mathces.

Nothing will ever replace a fifth set, with a home crowd. Those matches were epic.
This format makes it a travesty.

[Deuce]

Canada gets through to the Quarter Finals...
Gabriel Diallo played the first singles vs. Serbia yesterday - he's a tall youngster who won the Granby Challenger a few weeks ago. He slotted in for Pospisil, who, as usual, was nursing some injuries. They wanted Pospisil to be fresh for the doubles (more on that later).
Diallo's Davis Cup debut went pretty much as expected - he lost the rather one-sided match to Laslo Djere 6-2, 6-2.

But then Felix stepped up and delivered a convincing 6-3, 6-4 win over Miomir Kecmanović. This clinched Canada's place in the Quarter Finals.
The doubles - which Pospisil was supposed to be fresh for - didn't last long because Pospisil retired in the 4th game with a knee injury.
It's difficult to think of a player who has been injured with many different injuries more than Pospisil.

In other Davis Cup news, Great Britain was eliminated, and Andy Murray said that that may have been his final Davis Cup participation (as a player, at least)...

[ti-amie]

[mick1303]

What are you thoughts of the newly introduced United Cup? BTW, I can't find an info on how much matches (rubbers) will be in a tie.

[ponchi101]

As has been said above. It sounds like the Hopman Cup.
We will have to see how the players react to it. I really think that starting it on Dec 29th will cause some problems; some players will want to delay flying to Australia before New Year's day.
But if it replaces the previous bunch of tournaments that were lined up a bit loosely, it might work.

[Deuce]

I think the 'United Cup' is simply another public relations gimmick to bring in money for the powers that be in tennis - much like the 'ATP Cup', 'Next Gen', etc.

[meganfernandez]

Mardy Fish on why he left Rajeev Ram off the US Davis Cup team:

"I love Raj and his DC career with me isn’t over.…But this time, Jack will be playing with Frances or Tommy or Taylor. As DC Captain, it’s my job to listen to the players as well. Ultimately, it’s my choice and I make the calls, but I do listen to their thoughts and ideas….I appreciate the question, as it’s important to have folks care about DC. No one wants to win DC more than me, that I can promise you.”

So either Rajeev doesn't play well or doesn't get along with Jack Sock, or Fish wanted the strongest singles bench possible. Right translation? Citing twice that he "listens to the players" suggests their input had some sort of influence. Wertheim confirmed Rajeev doesn't have an injury or scheduling conflict - he just wasn't chosen, despite being ranked #1 and the reigning US Open champion.

[Deuce]

Mardy Fish on why he left Rajeev Ram off the US Davis Cup team:

"I love Raj and his DC career with me isn’t over.…But this time, Jack will be playing with Frances or Tommy or Taylor. As DC Captain, it’s my job to listen to the players as well. Ultimately, it’s my choice and I make the calls, but I do listen to their thoughts and ideas….I appreciate the question, as it’s important to have folks care about DC. No one wants to win DC more than me, that I can promise you.”

So either Rajeev doesn't play well or doesn't get along with Jack Sock, or Fish wanted the strongest singles bench possible. Right translation? To me, citing twice that he "listens to the players" suggests their input had some sort of influence. Wertheim confirmed Rajeev doesn't have an injury or scheduling conflict - he just wasn't chosen, despite being ranked #1 and the reigning US Open champion.

Or it might simply be a case of Ram's doubles partner (Joe Salisbury), with whom he has had success and with whom he reached #1 in doubles, is not American - and so if they can't be taken on the Davis Cup team as a doubles team, it diminishes the quality available.
Maybe Ram doesn't have successful on-court chemistry with any of the other American players on the team. Or maybe he has never played doubles with any of them, and so Fish doesn't want to take a chance and merely hope that it will work. Sock and Tiafoe have played doubles together...
Just because a player is a great doubles player does not mean that he will automatically succeed with any partner. There needs to be good chemistry for success to occur - and while a good doubles player brings his playing talent with him, chemistry is a different matter altogether. And the chemistry can only be determined in action on the court.

Or maybe, as you mentioned, Fish wants someone who is not a liability in singles, in case of injury, or COVID, etc.
Everything is speculation.

[ti-amie]

It's a bit of a surprise but I think Deuce is right here about his doubles partner not being an American.

[meganfernandez]

It's a bit of a surprise but I think Deuce is right here about his doubles partner not being an American.

I don't think that's the case. Ram has played with Jack Sock 6 times this year alone. They have enough experiences and success together. I think it's either that Jack prefers to play with Tiafoe and got his way, or Mardy wants as many top singles players as he can get. His call, his strategy. He must think he is gaining more with the singles lineup than he is losing by leaving Ram out, and he might be right.

[Deuce]

It's a bit of a surprise but I think Deuce is right here about his doubles partner not being an American.

I don't think that's the case. Ram has played with Jack Sock 6 times this year alone. They have enough experiences and success together. I think it's either that Jack prefers to play with Tiafoe and got his way, or Mardy wants as many top singles players as he can get. His call, his strategy. He must think he is gaining more with the singles lineup than he is losing by leaving Ram out, and he might be right.

Ok, Ram and Sock can play doubles together - but wasn't this viewed mostly as a choice between Sock and Ram?
If they take both, then who do you drop?
Paul would seem to be the one to drop - but, again - you lose a good singles player if you do that. And especially with COVID around - where anyone testing positive is immediately out - you need all the players you can get who can play both singles and doubles.
When was the last time Ram played a singles tournament?

[meganfernandez]

It's a bit of a surprise but I think Deuce is right here about his doubles partner not being an American.

I don't think that's the case. Ram has played with Jack Sock 6 times this year alone. They have enough experiences and success together. I think it's either that Jack prefers to play with Tiafoe and got his way, or Mardy wants as many top singles players as he can get. His call, his strategy. He must think he is gaining more with the singles lineup than he is losing by leaving Ram out, and he might be right.

Ok, Ram and Sock can play doubles together - but wasn't this viewed mostly as a choice between Sock and Ram?
If they take both, then who do you drop?
Paul would seem to be the one to drop - but, again - you lose a good singles player if you do that. And especially with COVID around - where anyone testing positive is immediately out - you need all the players you can get who can play both singles and doubles.
When was the last time Ram played a singles tournament?

Do they have to pick four players plus an alternate? Is that how it works?

If it was a choice between Ram and Sock, and the singles player most likely to play dubs (Tiafoe?) preferred Sock, then that would make sense. I was thinking they'd take both Sock and Ram as a team, like they used to choose the Bryans, and then two strong singles players, and drop either Tommy Paul or whoever is most injured right now, or that person would go as an alternate. But this lineup makes sense, too, especially since Paul just beat Nadal.

[ponchi101]

Unless it is an established doubles team (The Bryans, McEnroe/Flemming), I would always pick singles' players.

[Deuce]

I don't think that's the case. Ram has played with Jack Sock 6 times this year alone. They have enough experiences and success together. I think it's either that Jack prefers to play with Tiafoe and got his way, or Mardy wants as many top singles players as he can get. His call, his strategy. He must think he is gaining more with the singles lineup than he is losing by leaving Ram out, and he might be right.

Ok, Ram and Sock can play doubles together - but wasn't this viewed mostly as a choice between Sock and Ram?
If they take both, then who do you drop?
Paul would seem to be the one to drop - but, again - you lose a good singles player if you do that. And especially with COVID around - where anyone testing positive is immediately out - you need all the players you can get who can play both singles and doubles.
When was the last time Ram played a singles tournament?

Do they have to pick four players plus an alternate? Is that how it works?

If it was a choice between Ram and Sock, and the singles player most likely to play dubs (Tiafoe?) preferred Sock, then that would make sense. I was thinking they'd take both Sock and Ram as a team, like they used to choose the Bryans, and then two strong singles players, and drop either Tommy Paul or whoever is most injured right now, or that person would go as an alternate. But this lineup makes sense, too, especially since Paul just beat Nadal.

^ That (highlighted) was before COVID.
With COVID comes the increased possibility that a player would have to leave the team due to testing positive.
As such, the threat of a positive COVID test rather forces the captains to modify their choices for who is on the team, with more of an emphasis on doubles players who can play singles if needed.

[ti-amie]