Sam Querrey is about to find out that the drain in Spain is mainly on the brain, as he makes his debut as a US singles player in what appears a suicide mission in a bullring in Madrid. This will be a semifinal, against a Spanish team led by Rafael Nadal. The Spanish squad will be highly motivated for tie, because it has a 2-1 record in finals since 2000, but has only won the title once since Nadal emerged as a top player.
The USTA hosted a conference call with Querrey this morning. Sam is down in Austin, Tx., practicing with the Bryan brothers and Andy Roddick. He said they hadn't really talked very much about Davis Cup yet, which is probably a good idea. No point worrying about what the lion's breath smells like until you get tossed into the cage, right? The best thing the guys can do for Sam now is keep him relaxed.
Querrey is the first singles player to crack the US line-up since February of 2004. BTW, this stat speaks volumes about the commitment of the top US players, led by Roddick, the Bryans, James Blake and Mardy Fish. This may not be the best pool of talent the US has ever had - it may not even be the third or fourth best. At the same time, fully and comparably invested Davis Cup players like, say, Arthur Ashe and Stan Smith, played in an era where it was less costly and demanding to sign up for Davis Cup duty. The present US squad hasn't enjoyed wild success, but then neither has Spain - given the level of talent that the nation has had available for about a decade now. The nature of the Davis Cup challenge has changed, and drastically.
Anyway, Querrey said that he probably won't really feel the nerves until he gets to Spain, and while he would prefer to make his debut as a Davis Cup player at a home tie, on hard courts, he's fine with the conditions. "(US captain) Pat (McEnroe) called me, last Saturday I think it was, and told me that James (Blake) won't be on the squad, so I should be ready - I might be the guy for the US. He said, 'Sit tight, I'll let you know in a few days. . .'
Sam sat, although he admits to doing a little squirming. "I felt like a pitcher sitting in the bullpen, waiting for the manager to call. I got the call on Monday. Pat said, 'Be ready to go.'"