RUSSIA'S FED CUP SIDE.

[SAFINNO1]

so it is on clay, interesting i am hoping Venus and serena dont find their power game on the clay.

[annie]

SAFINNO1 said:

so it is on clay, interesting i am hoping Venus and serena dont find their power game on the clay.

Yeah well all external factors point out that it will be clay even though there is no official announcement. I must say I am rather pleased...I think this is the surface we have most chances of winning on

[lau]

29 Jun 2005
Nominations Announced for July 9 - 10 ties
Teams are permitted to change up to two nominations until one hour before the draw. Nomination changes will be posted on the Official Fed Cup website www.fedcup.com as and when the ITF is officially notified.

Live scoring for all World Group I ties (Semifinals and Play-offs) will be available on www.fedcup.com throughout the weekend.


WORLD GROUP I SEMIFINALS

RUSSIA v USA
Venue: Moscow, Russia (clay – indoors)

Russia
Elena Dementieva
Anastasia Myskina
Dinara Safina
Vera Douchevina
Captain: Mr Shamil Tarpischev

USA
Lindsay Davenport
Venus Williams
Corina Morariu
Mashona Washington
Captain: Ms Zina Garrison


whole article with all the teams: www.fedcup.com/news/newsarticle.asp?id=10653

[annie]

Thanks lau COME ON GIRLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[annie]

The Shifting Sands of Moscow
For seven months it’s been likely, for three it’s been definite – that Russia would host the USA in the semifinals of the Fed Cup. And for much of that time the Russians have been firm if not overwhelming favourites. But in the past week all that has changed.

Instead of the world’s strongest country in top-level women’s tennis facing an American line-up travelling more in hope than expectation, a weakened Russian team will face the Wimbledon champion and runner-up when the two teams meet at the weekend in the Olympic indoor arena in Moscow.

How the sands have shifted over recent weeks and days! When Lindsay Daveport and Venus Williams committed to Zina Garrison’s US team for 2005, it seemed a good enough line-up on hard and fast courts, but very vulnerable on clay. That will have been a factor in Russia’s decision to choose clay for its twin ties on successive weekends: the Fed Cup semifinal against the Americans, and the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas quarterfinal the following weekend when Russia host France.

Davenport has won three of the four Grand Slam tournaments, but the one missing from her collection is the French, on which she has seldom excelled. Though the elder Williams has never won in Australia, the French is clearly the one at which she too has performed worst, and until her run to the Wimbledon final the general view was that she was a shadow of the player who won Wimbledon, the US Open and the Olympic gold medal during a glorious 36-win run in 2000.

But not only did Davenport reach the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, but she and Williams of course contested that incredible Wimbledon final at the weekend. And the Russian team announced last week lacks three of the four members who won the Fed Cup last November – Svetlana Kuznetsova, Vera Zvonareva and Elena Likhovtseva – plus Maria Sharapova and Nadia Petrova. Though the Russians will field last year’s Roland Garros finalists, Anastasia Myskina and Elena Dementieva, both have struggled for form this year, and Myskina has been distracted by the ill-health of her mother.

All of which has made the Americans favourites to reach the final, but if Davenport is right, it may be the last time for a while. Asked at Wimbledon whether she, the Williams sisters and Jennifer Capriati were “the last of a group, maybe the last hurrah”, Davenport replied: “It seems like that – if you take the four of us out, it doesn’t look too bright. You never know if that cycle can change. Hopefully it will, but I think right now in the States girls are picking different sports. It’s funny because all the most famous female athletes are tennis players. We’ve just got to try to pull them back.”

The Fed Cup has given the US Tennis Association the chance to blood some youngsters who might be the future. At the first round tie against Belgium, two 13-year-olds Asia Muhammad and Brittany Augustine were practice partners, and clearly impressed Davenport. They were great, and they’re young enough. I had a great time with those two at Fed Cup – very athletic, very sweet, very good. I think they can do well.”

The last time the Americans played in the Olympic arena in Moscow was for the 2003 semifinal and final, in which they beat Belgium but lost to France. It meant they never faced the roar of the passionate Muscovites, which will certainly help Myskina, Dementieva, Vera Douchevina and Dinara Safina.

Myskina is convinced her run to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon will be of help.

“I am feeling the ball much better,” she said, “I’m more confident right now from the baseline. It doesn’t really matter whether it’s on grass or clay, because if you feel confident you don’t really care where you play.”

That philosophy will also help Douchevina, who won six matches in reaching the final on the grass of Eastbourne the week before Wimbledon.

But it will also help the Americans. Though they may prefer grass to clay, Davenport and Williams will make the switch with ease, buoyed by the confidence of their Wimbledon success which for Davenport seemed highly improbable a year ago, and for Williams highly improbable just a week ago.

[MaRije]

...! HeEy !... ;D


Thanks annie For that Article!
Have a nice day!


KisSes and hUGsS to you, MaRat!
From MaRije..!

[alsl]

just wondering..i went to the fed cup webby today and it sed that the official team nominations for russia were :elena,staysia,dinara and vera..just wondering,how cum sveta and maria didnt play..i mean,maria is sort of IN form at the moment

[annie]

There has been a lot of talk about Maria being in the team, Tarpischev had a fight with Maria's father about it some time ago, too. But it has been agreed that Maria is going to join the Russia squad starting from next year. I am also wondering about Sveta but have no idea why she's not in

[alsl]

hmm,isnt that was tarpishev sed last year? <i read it in the 'tennis' magazine>..oh well..russias in the final agaisnt france..i think they have a 80-20 chance of winning,so hopefully,they do ;D

[lena]

Lindsey pulled out of Fed Cup Team beause of back injury.
So chances grow for Russian Ladys ;D Udachi i Davai

[iLuV_ARod_&_MaRaT]

Thanx for posting!!!!

[iLuV_ARod_&_MaRaT]

Oh, i forgot to ask, why is "sharascreamer" not in the Russian team???

[annie]

Ermmm ILUV read 3 posts up...I just answered that question today LOL

[lena]

spitfire said:

Oh, i forgot to ask, why is "sharascreamer" not in the Russian team???

I think there are many reasons. You could ask Nasty, Lena, Dina, Shamil or Yuri and everyone would tell you a different story . Maybe it is also to much for her schedule...
But I don't think they need her urgently

[tall_one]

R1 - A.MYSKINA vs V.WILLIAMS
R2 - E.DEMENTIEVA vs M.WASHINGTON
R3 - E.DEMENTIEVA vs V.WILLIAMS
R4 - A.MYSKINA vs M.WASHINGTON
R5 - V.DOUCHEVINA / D.SAFINA vs C.MORARIU / V.WILLIAMS