Mornin' folks. We're in the city this weekend, so I'll be able to track the Fed Cup results as quickly and easily as the rest of you. I think the International Tennis Federation has an excellent website - not the slickest or most inviting looking - in fact, it looks downright amateurish, design-and-aesthetics wise.
But the site is very easy to navigate and chock-a-bloc with useful statistics and information. It's amazing how far we've come in just a few short years; not long ago, trying to figure out Lindsay Davenport's Fed Cup record would have meant consulting one or more books and media guides, and sometimes working out the stats with pencil and paper. As you all know, I'm lousy with stats even with the marvelous on-line resources, so this has been a tremendous boon to me.
One of the things I love about tracking Davis and Fed Cup results is the way the global reach of the game ensures that somebody , somewhere, is always taking an opponent behind the woodshed to lay a whuppin' on him (or her). Davis and Fed Cup are our version of Election Day. The coverage is rolling, for as long as 72-hours. One innovation I'd like to see is some sort of ITF Cup radio (maybe it already exists?) - you know, load 'er up and listen to a combination of match calling and results updates, with one or two color commentators weighing in on what the prospects are for, say, Russia after Day 1. Just like election coverage.
In just a few hours, Lindsay Davenport will lead the US squad against Germany. Have you checked Lindsay's Fed Cup record lately? She's 25-2 in singles. Billie Jean King was 26-1, which ain't too shabby, but the undisputed Queen of the US Fed Cup has been Chris Evert, who was 40-2. Her record seems safe. Martina Navratilova, incidentally, was a perfect 20-0 - which is impressive even though she put up many of those wins against underdogettes.
Keep your eyes on the ball, Lindsay! Enjoy the matches, TWibe. . .