The Davis Cup World Group semifinal between Great Britain and Australia will begin on Friday on the indoor hard courts of Glasgow. Andy Murray is opening against Thanasi Kokkinakis before Dan Evans faces Bernard Tomic.
Andy Murray (GBR) vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS)
Two good friends and frequent training partners will go head-to-head for the first time when Murray and Kokkinakis kick off the Great Britain vs. Australia Davis Cup semifinal tie on Friday in Glasgow. Both players are looking to bounce back from relatively disappointing U.S. Open campaigns. Murray had been in outstanding form with a title in Montreal and a semifinal showing in Cincinnati. Expected to go up against Roger Federer in a semifinal showdown at Flushing Meadows, the third-ranked Scot instead lost to Kevin Anderson in a fourth-round upset. Still, Murray is a stellar 59-10 on the season and a perfect 4-0 in Davis Cup singles rubbers.
Kokkinakis got dragged into the Nick Kyrgios-Stan Warinka controversy during the Montreal Masters, but he did not let it affect him in Cincinnati. The world No. 72 qualified for the main draw there and ousted Fabio Fognini before succumbing to Richard Gasquet. Kokkinakis also went up against Gasquet in the U.S. Open first round and pushed the Frenchman to five sets before retiring with cramps. The 19-year-old is 1-1 in Davis Cup this year; he came back from two sets down to beat Lukas Rosol on the road in the Czech Republic but lost during quarterfinal action at home to Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin. An away date with Murray will obviously be Kokkinakis’ toughest Davis Cup test yet.
Pick: Murray in 3 with at least 1 tiebreaker
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Dan Evans (GBR) vs. Bernard Tomic (AUS)
The Australia Davis Cup team has played some musical chairs in recent seasons, and Tomic has beena a big reason for the ongoing uncertainty due to both inconsistent play on the court and questionable behavior off it. Almost the same can be said for Kyrgios. It was Kyrgios who got the call for the Davis Cup quarterfinals against Kazakhstan, but now Tomic is on the squad while Kyrgios is absent. The 22-year-old is in strong enough form, up to a career-high ranking of 23rd in the world. He outlasted Australian teammate Lleyton Hewitt’s U.S. Open career after a five-set thriller then lost to Gasquet in the third round.
Evans is 1-0 lifetime against Tomic, having prevailed 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3 at the 2013 U.S. Open. But the 25-year-old has since disappeared from the main tour. In fact, he has not won an ATP-level match since Queen’s Club in 2014 and he has not even played in an ATP tournament this season. Registering at exactly 300th in the world, Evans has been grinding away on the Futures and Challenger circuits and has three Futures titles to his credit this year. Although he is finally playing with some confidence again, this is a substantial step up in competition for Evans.
Pick: Tomic in 4
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Ghent has been confirmed as the venue for next month’s Davis Cup final between Belgium and Great Britain.
The Belgians have confirmed that they will be using a drop-in clay court for the matches. Clay is British No 1 Andy Murray’s least favourite surface.
http://www.skysports.com/tennis/news/12110/10002537/ghent-to-host-davis-cup-final-between-belgium-and-great-britain
Fingers crossed Murray will keep up the form he showed on clay earlier this year.
Hoping too that Jamie Ward will earn back his place in the team. He is no slouch on clay. It was a risky strategy on Leon Smith’s part to field a not fully fit Dan Evans in spite of the sterling work he’s done for GB in Davis Cup in the past.
Who’d want to take on the part of a Davis Cup team captain. Doomed if you do. Doomed if you don’t.
I think Leon Smith just wanted to spread the love and make Dan Evans feel part of the team especially if GB goes on to win the DC. What’s happened to Aljaz Bedene there
has been no mention of him; I know he can’t play for GB yet but shouldn’t he have been there cheering the team on?
Good point Nadlne. Dan more than played his part in helping GB to get back into the World Group. There is more depth today than when Andy was their one and only player but they are relatively inexperienced and goodness knows when, if ever, GB will get the chance to contest a final again.
Leon will be agonising over his selections and strategies. He has seen what happened to Arnaud Clement when the captain doesn’t get it right. Dont know how they will react to the authoritarian Yannick but the sparks will fly if Spain and France have to play each other 😉
Conchita looked to have a good rapport with the Spanish team but it will be an uphill task to restore confidence and repair the damage of the last few appointments – which has been an ever revolving roundabout.
ed251137 says:
September 23, 2015 at 7:04 pm,
–the sparks will fly if Spain and France have to play each other—
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Spain and France have no chance to play each other before 2017.
Auguster @ 9.17am:
I didn’t IMPLY or SAY next year did I? I didn’t even say WHEN they play each. I wrote IF they have to play each other – which I think most people will infer as meaning at any time in the future. i.e. when Spain gets back into the World Group and provided GB isn’t relegated.
Correct me when I get the facts wrong, or have completely misunderstood something. Otherwise cut me some slack. please.
ed251137 says:
September 24, 2015 at 12:44 pm
—I didn’t IMPLY or SAY next year did I?—
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You wrote (at 7:04 pm) about Yannick Noah, who was appointed as the new France Davis Cup captain for NEXT year. 🙂
augusta08 says:
September 24, 2015 at 10:53 am
Can Mr. Kermode be above the official rulebook?
Are you trying to wind me up ?
ed251137 (at 1:15 pm),
Nope! I just ask how it’s possible not to follow the rulebook. 🙂
I really want to see Murray and the Brits win the DC. I think Murray showed earlier this year that he can do very well on clay. It may not be his best surface, but he has enough prowess and skill to get the job done.
i hope Andy sticks to his guns and withdraws from the WTF. He will have the backing of most players if he does. If you read Chris Kermodes statement carefully he has not spelt out how he would be punished. He merely says unless they receive an official withdrawal he expects Murray to show up. He runs the WTF and obviously has to be seen to be enforcing the draconian rules imposed by the ITF but as chairman of the ATP his main concern is finding a middle road between promoting tennis and concerns for the welfare of the players. I don’t believe Murray will be forced to put his health at risk. That way everybody is the loser. I’m sure a face saving solution will be found. i.e. a hefty fine.
There won’t be a fine.
no. Murray will just withdraw due to injury.
You mean withdraw with a non-existent injury?
An injury like Roger’s injury before last year’s final.
I think Murray will play both and hope for the best; possibly try and leave the WTF at the RR stage and not exert himself too much. This could be GBs one and only chance of winning the DC in this era last time being 1936 and it’s an opportunity not to be missed.
i think a strategic early loss is the least satisfactory solution all round. I hate it when it is blatantly obvious this is what is going on ala Paris Masters which is so often a race amongst those who have already qualified as to who can get to London first.
At the end of the day it is akin to match fixing. As a spectator or viewer I feel cheated.
Actually it is rare for players at the WTF to tank a match. In fact I can’t recall it happening apart from the notorious ‘Tank You’ incident used to edge Andy out of the SF.
ed251137 says:
September 23, 2015 at 8:45 pm
—If you read Chris Kermodes statement carefully he has not spelt out how he would be punished.—
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2015 ATP Official Rulebook, page 12 &13:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CPqJy33UsAAmF77.png
This is Kermodes statement following the news Murray was contemplating not playing the WTF.
Chris Kermode, executive president of the ATP which governs men’s professional tennis, said Murray would be expected to play in London.
“The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is a mandatory event on the ATP World Tour,” he said.
“All players who qualify, unless injured, are required to compete in the event. Andy Murray has had a fantastic season and earned his place among the world’s top eight players to compete at the season finale.
“We are aware of the comments made after the Davis Cup tie in Glasgow, however our expectations are that, if fully fit, Andy would compete in this year’s tournament. Unless we hear otherwise via an official withdrawal, he is still entered to compete at the O2.”
He is reiterating the official rulebook. He did not say the book will be flung at him.
Ergo, he has left the door open for Murray to exit gracefully.
Kermode would make a great diplomat in the Foreign Office. He has an unenviable balancing act to perform but he has the respect of the players. Which can’t be said of some of his predecessors.
See BBC interview
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/tennis/25773438
ed251137 says:
September 24, 2015 at 10:16 am
—He is reiterating the official rulebook. He did not say the book will be flung at him.—
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..
Can Mr. Kermode be above the official rulebook?
augusta08
Can Mr. Kermode be above the official rulebook?
Are you trying to wind me up ?
IMO, DC is more important than WTF…it’s representing and playing for your country…it’s almost opposite of what tennis is all about: pure individual sport…in DC they act and play as a team with each individual contributing to a team success…and that’s the value of it…I fully support Andy’s decision if he is allowed to stick to it…
Davis cup is a sideshow these days not many top players care about it due to the unfair and unreasonable schedule and lack of monetary benefits. Tennis is an individual sport, team competition or doubles is more of a sub-sport. Even if Britain wins the Davis cup their tennis future (post Murray) looks just as bleak.I mean seriously, even a person with half the brain knows that they are struggling to produce half a decent player (anyone ranked inside the top 100.)
World Tour Finals offers 1500 points for an unbeaten champion. If Murray has any ambitions to get the World # 1 ranking next year, he cant miss the World tour finals, he is already almost 8000 points behind Djokovic, he has to close this astonishing gap and cant afford to fall even further behind.
Trying to downplay the importance of an event that offers 1500 points the next highest after 4 majors?
They offer 1,00 points and £1.3m in prize money to force players to take part.
Alternates (Wiki)
Although the ATP Rulebook states that the two players immediately ranked after the last qualifier at the Masters Cup should be selected as singles alternates, and be present at the event’s location,[70] only two players ranked in the Top 35 of the ATP Race, after Gilles Simon, accepted the invitation to come to Shanghai : 26th-ranked Radek Štěpánek of the Czech Republic, and 35th-ranked Nicolas Kiefer of Germany.[71] Among the twenty-four players who declined to come – because they needed to prepare for the Davis Cup final, for reasons of injury, or to preserve themselves for the next season – were James Blake, David Nalbandian, 2007 Tennis Masters Cup finalist David Ferrer, Stanislas Wawrinka, 2007 qualifier Fernando González, Fernando Verdasco, Gaël Monfils, Robin Söderling, Igor Andreev, Nicolás Almagro, Tomáš Berdych, Tommy Robredo, Marin Čilić, Mardy Fish, 2007 qualifier Richard Gasquet, Ivo Karlović, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Dmitry Tursunov, Marat Safin, Feliciano López, Paul-Henri Mathieu, Mikhail Youzhny, Rainer Schüttler and Mario Ančić.
Czech Radek Štěpánek, who started the year as No. 30 and ranked as high as No. 12 on July 7, had his best Grand Slam performance at the French Open, where he reached the fourth round, losing to David Ferrer in five sets on the score of 4–6, 6–2, 1–6, 6–3, 6–3.[72] Štěpánek reached one final in the season in San Jose (lost to Roddick), and reached the semifinals at four events, in Sydney (lost to Guccione), Memphis (lost to Söderling), Rome (retired due to illness against Djokovic),[73] and Metz (lost to Tursunov).
Former World No. 4 Nicolas Kiefer, who qualified once for the year-end event at the 1999 ATP Tour World Championships, where he reached the semifinals (lost to Sampras), did not get past the third round at a Grand Slam event in 2008 but reached his first tournament final since Saint Petersburg in 2005, his first career ATP Masters Series final – and his only final of the season – at the Toronto Masters (lost to Nadal).[74] His other best results included a semifinal in Halle (lost to Federer), and a quarterfinal at the Hamburg Masters (lost to Seppi).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Tennis_Masters_Cup#Withdrawals