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by Pete Bodo
U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe hit it right on the head when he described Andy Roddick and James Blake's decisions to skip Davis Cup for 2010 as "the end of an era." McEnroe now faces the daunting task of meeting powerful Serbia on clay without the services of the two singles players who have done most of the heavy lifting for the USA for the last decade. But he also has an opportunity to build upon the foundation laid by Roddick, Blake and the ever-reliable and utterly loyal Bryan brothers, Mike and Bob.
Chronologically, it isn't a bad time at all to begin a transition. The Bryans are as solid an anchor as the squad could want, and McEnroe told me that John Isner and Sam Querrey have both been working hard. They could provide the nucleus of a solid and versatile singles presence, especially on fast courts. Strategically, this isn't the best moment for a squad makeover, particularly if it's going to feature Querrey and Isner - a tie at home on a fast cement court would improve their chances considerably. Plus, a loss in Serbia means that the USA will have to play a World Group relegation tie in September. That raises the interesting question of whether Roddick and/or Blake would go Roger Federer on us, and step back into the Davis Cup arena in order to keep team USA up in the first division that will vie for the Cup in 2011.
But even if we fall out of the World Group, a little seasoning and confidence-building against beatable teams in a zonal play would certainly prepare America's youngsters for the variables of Davis Cup competition. Let's be honest about this - the USA presently doesn't have the Davis Cup talent or experience to rank among elites like Argentina (despite its dismal inability to close the deal in a final), powerful Spain (four Davis Cup championships since 2000), or versatile France. And Sweden (with Robin Soderling), Serbia (Novak Djokovic) and even Switzerland (some guy named Federer) all are capable of fielding teams with something the USA lacks with the departure of Roddick - a blue-chip singles player.
For those reasons, it seems that the USA ought to continue the tradition McEnroe established back in 2001, when he took the squad over after the short, unhappy tenure of his brother, John. The leadership should focus on building player loyalty, and keeping alive the high degree of team spirit that the Roddick-Blake-Bryans squads created. That can be a tricky thing, because it depends so heavily on intangibles like the attitude of the players, and the priorities each of them individually embraces. The upside for the USA is that team spirit has been running deep; Mardy Fish, who was nudged out of the line-up by his buddy Blake, remains a team guy. And American youngsters like Ryan Harrison and Devin Britton have been willing, enthusiastic practice partners in recent ties (for more on this, check my post today at ESPN).
It's surprising - and this is one of the great things about Davis Cup - how far a team can go with a combination of can-do team spirit and a break here and there in the draw. Just look at tiny Israel, or even Sweden in the post-Wilander/Edberg era. The World Group draw in Davis Cup is small enough (16 teams, four rounds to win) and the maddeningly charming vagaries of the host-visitor format are great levelers of the playing field (the nations simply take turns as host, a role which also carries the critical perk of choice-of-surface). The U.S. was 1-1 in finals in the Roddick-Blake years, losing away to Spain on clay in 2004, and winning at home against Russia in 2007 on a fast indoor court. The format ensures that any nation has reason to hope, which means that team spirit and vigilance - the ability to sustain hope until the inevitable opportunity presents itself, are key.
The draw for the USA is especially tough this year, with Serbia and - probably - Croatia (the only World Group nation the USA has never beaten in Davis Cup) in the quarters in the unlikely event that Team USA gets past Djokovic and company. Although the USA would host Croatia, it would have very little discernible advantage when it comes to choice of surface. In Davis Cup, unlike a typical singles tournament, the competition doesn't necessarily get tougher as you progress toward the final (although the nations are seeded). It just gets. . . different.
Given the realities of the format, it isn't such a bad time for Roddick and Blake to sit out the year, and down in Australia, Roddick made a point of saying that he hasn't retired - he's just taking the year off because he wants to change surfaces from week-to-week as little as possible (partly out of concern for a tender knee). Blake hasn't said that he's finished with Davis Cup for his career, either.
Perhaps it isn't the end of an era as much as the terminal point of a great run for two distinguished Davis Cup veterans who may yet have further chapters to add to the lore and legend of the greatest annual international team competition on the planet.