Posts Tagged ‘Davis Cup’

Pat Rafter may be future Davis Cup head

Pat Rafter never achieved a Davis Cup as a player but he now might land one as captain after creating a fortunate and successful first appearance in charge of Australia’s junior team.

Rafter hasn’t dominated out following in the well-known footsteps of Harry Hopman, Neale Fraser and John Newcombe after leading the national under 16 boys’ team to the world finals of the Junior Davis Cup.

Rafter told AAP, “Six days of that, mate three matches each day for six days. It was intense and pretty exhausting by the end, that’s for confident. I have never made this before so it was an excellent learning experience for me knowing what I should express and what I shouldn’t say and when I should keep calm and when I should some kind of acquire a bit stroppy with them.”

It is asked that if he was eager to one day captain the senior Davis Cup team, one of the most prominent positions in Australian sport, Rafter said “never say never, mate”.

He said, “This was in fact my initial jump into anything like this. I will return and see if positive and certain chances present themselves and see if Tennis Australia wants me. And if I have gained the true time to do those things then, yeah, I might attempt and do something like that again as well.”

The reality is, the perfectly credentialed Rafter is obviously being groomed by TA as probable Cup captain of the future perhaps even as successor to the long serving Fitzgerald. Leading and captaining the Davis Cup team would give the former Australian of the Year the opportunity to fulfill his splendid CV after he was harshly deprived of having his name etched onto the most coveted trophy in teams’ tennis.

Boasting a desirable 21-11 Cup record, Rafter was wounded and injured when Australia won the 1999 final against France and then he misplaced finals against Spain and France the following two years. Sorrowfully, Rafter’s recent professional match was his critical doubles defeat partnering Hewitt against Fabrice Santoro and Cedric Pioline in the Melbourne Park final loss in 2001.

With the bind then protected at two rubbers apiece, Rafter was not able to play the deciding singles match because of an arm injury that eventually broken his career.

Alicia Molik too prepared a victorious opening to the captaincy ranks at Mildura, serving the Australian Junior Fed Cup team of Viktorija Rajicic, Molly Polak and Alexandra Nancarrow to the world finals.

Molik said, “It was my opportunity and I think Pat’s chance to return back a little bit”. We have been lucky to have had big careers so it’s enormous that we can still be part of it.”

Battle for the 2009 Davis Cup title

The beginning round of the 2009 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas produced its customary combine of shock consequences, predictable results and marvelous performances over the weekend. In the quarterfinals of July, supremacy champion Spain will host Germany, last year’s runner-up Argentina will tour to Czech Republic, the United States will tour Croatia, and Israel will host of Russia.

France was one of two seeded nations to be distress over the weekend. In Ostrava, experience triumphed over youth as Czech Republic handed the nine-time champion its first beginning round beating in the contest for nine years. Radek Stepanek dominated world No. 8 Gilles Simon 76, 63, and 76 in the fourth rubber, after teaming with Tomas Berdych to conquest in the doubles. It was a disappointing Davis Cup first appearance for Simon, who also misplaced his opening singles match to Berdych on Friday.

Spain toured into the last eight in spite of having to play three matches on Saturday, after high winds left the Benidorm stands insecure on Friday. Unfazed by the delay, the hosts crushed Serbia 4-1, world No. 1 Rafael Nadal defeating world No. 3 Novak Djokovic 64 64 61 in the first reverse singles on Sunday to seal the victory. Having swept past Janko Tipsarevic in straight sets on Saturday, Nadal extended his winning streak in Davis Cup to 12 matches. Spain’s other winning point was provided by David Ferrer, who beat a below-par Djokovic in straight sets on the first day.

The additional seeded nation to descend was seven-time champion Sweden. Its tie with Israel, being played behind closed doors in Malmo with just a handful of audience to witness the drama, was the only one to go to a critical fifth rubber. Thirty-year-old Harel Levy, ranked No. 241 in the world, defeated Andreas Vinciguerra 64 46 64 36 86 in just over three and a half hours to put Israel in the Davis Cup quarterfinals for just the second time. The outcome marked the first time in Sweden’s 84-year Davis Cup history that the nation had lost a tie from 2-1 up, and avenged Israel’s defeat to Sweden in last year’s first round. All four of the singles matches went to five sets, and Dudi Sela was concerned in two of them, most fatefully defeating Thomas Johansson on Sunday to pave the way for Levy’s heroics.

In Alabama, the United States got full benefit of the absence of world No. 2 Roger Federer to beat Switzerland 4-1. Andy Roddick won a significant Davis Cup rubber for the 11th time, defeating Stanislas Wawrinka in straight sets in the first reverse singles. In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, hosts Germany put the loss of the opening match behind them to record a 3-2 victory over Austria, Nicolas Kiefer striking the winning blow against Jurgen Melzer in the fourth rubber, having also won the doubles with Philipp Kohlschreiber. The Germans’ upcoming meeting with Spain is a repeat of last year’s quarterfinal.

Another outstanding performance was showed by Dmitry Tursunov in Romania, the Russian coming back from two-sets-to-love down in the fourth rubber to defeat Victor Hanescu 46 57 63 64 62 and hand Russia a Davis Cup quarterfinal berth for the fifth consecutive year. This came after Tursunov and Marat Safin’s shock five-set defeat to Marius Copil and Horia Tecau in the doubles.

There were two whitewash victories. Argentina, with a different style and having a new look team headed by Juan Ignacio Chela and Juan Monaco in the nonattendance of David Nalbandian, had no difficulty casting aside Netherlands 5-0 in Buenos Aires. Croatia was the 5-0 victor in Porec over a Chilean team playing without the injured Fernando Gonzalez.

The 2009 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas quarterfinals will occur 10-12 July with suggested venues from the host nations owing on 23 March. Austria, Chile, France, Netherlands, Romania, Serbia, Sweden and Switzerland will offer to keep their World Group places for 2010 when they participate in the Play-offs on 18-20 September, dealing with eight nations promoted from Europe/Africa Group I, Asia/Oceania Group I and Americas Group I.

This weekend the ITF welcomed Telefonica as the authorized Telecommunications Sponsor of Davis Cup by BNP Paribas and the ITF. In adding to on-court banners, Telefonica will supply telecommunications proficiency at Davis Cup ties around the world and advice the ITF and its member nations on new ways to expand and develop their internet properties.

Twenty six Davis Cup by BNP Paribas zonal connects also took place over the weekend.