Andy Roddick lost his record as the world’s fastest server to Ivo Karlovic in Davis Cup play this weekend, but Roddick would swap all the serving records in the world for a win and he got that. Karlovic didn’t.
Proving yet again what a titan he has been in U.S. Davis Cup colors over the years, Roddick beat Paul Capdeville of Chile 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-3 to clinch the Davis Cup tie on clay Santiago for Jim Courier’s team. It is the 12th time Roddick has won a deciding rubber for the United States, and it gave him his 33rd singles win in Davis Cup play. Only John McEnroe, Vic Seixas, Stan Smith and Bill Tilden have won more for the United States.
John Isner defeated Guillermo Rivera-Aranguiz 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-5 to finish off the 4-1 victory for the United States.
Without the injured Francisco Gonzalez, this was not a strong Chilean squad. But like many of his predecessors, John Isner, who lost to Capdeville on Friday, will tell you that no visit to the clay courts of South America is ever easy.
Roddick knew that he just had to stay solid to build on the Bryan brothers’ doubles win on Saturday and take the U.S. through to the quarterfinals for a home tie against Spain in July. Despite Capdeville’s fine start, the Roddick serve soon became the dominating factor, coupled with the American’s ability to trade ground strokes on the red clay. “I was fresher, my legs were strong,” was Roddick’s quick explanation of his victory afterward.
It took a bit more than that, but Courier, in his first tie as Patrick McEnroe’s successor, was very glad to have Roddick back on the team after a year’s absence.
Karlovic had nothing but that new serving record of 156 mph to console him as he went down 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5) to Philipp Petszchner on Sunday in the fifth rubber of the tie between Croatia and Germany in Zagreb. Karlovic actually had hit the world’s biggest serve in the doubles the day before. But he and Ivan Dodig lost that match, too.
There was never much doubt that Spain would provide America’s opposition the week after Wimbledon. Rafael Nadal, making his first appearance since injury struck at the Australian Open in January, led the demolition of Belgium in Charleroi with a straight-sets win over Ruben Bemelmans, a 23-year-old ranked No. 144 in the world with almost no ATP tour level experience. Bemelmans managed not to look too overawed but it is not a match he will forget. Nadal says it is his intention to continue playing Davis Cup this year, providing injuries do not intervene.
The sixteen World Group nations were playing eight ties this weekend, and the biggest shock occurred in the Czech Republic. Kazakhstan offered further evidence of tennis strength in the former Soviet republics by fighting back from 2-1 down to win the two reverse singles. Andrey Golubev, who is starting to make an impression on the ATP tour after winning Hamburg last year, led the way with a stunning 7-5, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 defeat of Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych. Fifteen aces and 90 winners helped Golubev win this 3-hour, 20-minute battle. Then it was up to Mikhail Kukushkin to win the deciding rubber, and he came through with another unexpected win over Jan Hajek 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (8), 6-0. On the ATP tour this year, Golubev has won one match and Kukushkin none. But Davis Cup is a different animal.
The holders, Serbia, were able to do without the services of world No. 3 Novak Djokovic while beating India 4-1 in Novi Sad. The Indians were also handicapped by the absence of their crack doubles team, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi but Victor Troicki, the hero of Serbia’s triumph over France in December, provided the decisive victory once again, beating Somdev Devvarman in straight sets.
France, meanwhile, had a struggle in Austria without its top trio of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gael Monfils and Richard Gasquet but squeaked through when Jeremy Chardy beat Martin Fischer in four sets in the deciding rubber to secure a 3-2 victory.
David Nalbandian helped Argentina beat Romania 4-1 but could not play the reverse singles because of a groin injury that will keep him out of the ATP Masters events at Indian Wells and Miami. Sweden was the other World Group winner, beating Russia with the assistance of Robin Soderling and, surprisingly, Joakim Johansson, who did not appear on the ATP tour at all last year.
In the Zonal ties, there was a notable success for Canada over Mexico at altitude and on clay in Mexico City. Even though Daniel Nestor could not play doubles because of injury, the year’s new star, Milos Raonic, switched from his indoor exploits in San Jose and Memphis — where he was a winner and a finalist, respectively on the ATP tour — to win both his singles matches in straight sets and help Vasek Pospisil take the doubles. The 20-year-old Canadian is currently living a dream.
