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Post by davis on Sept 26, 2007 9:15:11 GMT 3
Portland, Ore., to host Russia vs. U.S. in Davis Cup final
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) -Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Ore., will host the Davis Cup final between the United States and defending champion Russia from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2.
The U.S. Tennis Association planned to announce the site formally Wednesday.
It's the first Davis Cup final in the United States since the country won the 1992 championship by defeating Switzerland at Fort Worth, Texas.
In the stands for that matchup? A 10-year-old Andy Roddick.
``It changed my life,'' said Roddick, who helped the United States beat Sweden in the semifinals last weekend. ``It changed the way I viewed tennis, especially the way I viewed Davis Cup.''
He is expected to join fellow top-10 player James Blake in singles against Russia, with the top-ranked doubles pairing of Bob and Mike Bryan completing the U.S. team.
The Americans have won the Davis Cup title a record 31 times, but not since 1995, when Pete Sampras led the team to victory over Russia at Moscow.
Nikolay Davydenko, Mikhail Youzhny, Dmitry Tursunov and Igor Andreev were on the Russian squad that defeated Germany in this year's semifinals.
Tickets for the best-of-five final go on sale the week of Oct. 15.
Memorial Coliseum also hosted Davis Cup matches in 1981 and 1984.
``We hope to have a strong home-court advantage,'' U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe said.
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Post by davis on Sept 28, 2007 14:29:47 GMT 3
United They Stand, Divided They Fail
Russia, the mightiest tennis power in the land, now has a chance to win both the Davis Cup and the Fed Cup in the same season. Since Fed Cup began in 1963, only two teams, the United States and Australia, have done this (the Americans double dipped seven times and the Aussies three). The last single season double came in 1990, when Andre Agassi, Michael Chang, Jennifer Capriati, Zina Garrison, and Gigi Fernandez led the Americans to glory.
It’s no surprise that the Russian men are the defending Davis Cup champions and looking for more, or that the women have now won three Fed Cups in four years. When a team competition plays out over an 11-month season, depth takes precedent, and Russia certainly has that. Eight of its men rank in the top 100 and 16 of its women, the most of any country on the women’s tour. Three of those women are in the top five.
The Russians have had no shortage of success in tennis' team competitions, but haven't matched those results in the Grand Slams.
Winning the Cups is no mean feat. Success in those events requires a certain confidence, and devotion to a larger purpose at the expense of oneself, that we don’t see often enough from tennis players. But these competitions were not the measure of success people had in mind when Russia’s players, especially its women, became the talk of the tennis world. No, most of us were thinking about Grand Slam titles when we read (and wrote) all those headlines about the Russian Revolution and explored, in much detail, the methods for producing so much top talent. How did Russia have so many superb players? That used to be the question everyone asked. The better question these days is, how does Russia have so many superb players but so few majors?
Since 2004, Russian women have won four Grand Slams. Three of those victories came that year: Anastasia Myskina at Roland Garros, Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon, and Svetlana Kuznetsova at the U.S. Open. Three years and one title later, Myskina’s and Kuznetsova’s wins are considered flukes—Myskina is busy ice skating at the moment and may not play professional tennis again, while Kuznetsova has struggled mightily in two subsequent Grand Slam finals. Sharapova has won two majors so far and can’t be counted out of contention for more, but considering her form at the 2006 U.S. Open, her 2007 could not have been more disappointing. She’s gone from a legitimate No. 1 to a player with a bum shoulder who is a few poor showings from a full-blown career crisis.
One thing we can say about Sharapova, at least, is that the champion gene, if such a thing exists, did not pass her by. She’s more limited, in terms of tennis, than many of her Russian counterparts: slower afoot, awkward around the court, and not versatile. In terms of ball striking skills and athleticism, Kuznetsova is far better, but Sharapova is a far better fighter. It may be that Sharapova has teased the most out of herself, which is more than one can say of Kuznetsova (she’s out of shape, to say the least) and the other Russian women who don’t deliver when it matters most: namely, Nadia Petrova, Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina, Vera Zvonareva, and Anna Chakvetadze, whose first trip to a Grand Slam semifinal, at the U.S. Open this month, ended in disaster.
“Rags to riches” remains one of the running themes in the Russian tennis story. Many times in the last four or five years (and this usually happens when comparing Russian prospects to American prospects) tennis commentators have attributed the success of Russian tennis players to circumstances: They grew up with less, and had to work harder to get what they have. I tend to think this is bunk, as there are plenty of examples of tennis champions whose families, while perhaps not fabulously wealthy, weren’t exactly down at the heel (John McEnroe and Pete Sampras are examples). The Russians certainly have trained hard and earned their places among the game’s best players, but for reasons unknown, none of them has figured out how become, or has the desire to become, the consummate champion that a dominant tennis nation would rightly expect to produce.
Perhaps the best measure of Davis and Fed Cup captain Shamil Tarpischev’s greatness is that he has a knack for taking underachieving singles players and turning them into tough-minded competitors in a team setting. Dmitry Tursunov is not the sort of player one would expect to defeat Andy Roddick, even if the match is on clay, and especially if it ends at 17-15 in the fifth set, as their Davis Cup semifinal match did last year. Last weekend’s Davis Cup cast Igor Andreev in the role of hero; Mikhail Youzhny, Dementieva, and Kuznetsova have had cameos as well, along with Marat Safin, the closest thing Russia has ever had to an all-time great champion. (Who doubts that Safin would have won more than two majors if he had had Roddick’s determination to go along with his considerable talent?)
Four years into this generation of Russian players, it seems we now know what we are going to get from them: Great teams, but no truly great players. It might be up to the next generation to deliver one of those.
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Post by Annie on Sept 28, 2007 15:03:35 GMT 3
Thanks sweetie, very good read  |
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Post by Dina on Sept 28, 2007 20:29:08 GMT 3
bullsh***! Russia we'll certainly deliver an amazing and great player on that generation (though Russia already got it he's only on a hidden and slow period!) and you'll see how proud Russia will (re)be!
very interisting reading by the way!
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Post by hellanvodka on Sept 28, 2007 20:36:28 GMT 3
interesting to read, but this guy is obversely American. FULL STOP! He has no idea what Russian tennis and players are about? No great players in Russia? only in his narrow mind!!!!!!! From Kafilnikov to Marat Safin---one word----Legend!!!!!!! we not only have wonderful players but also a great team together.We Russians know that team work is---being great individual and make harmonised team. I am very pround of it!!!!
p.s. i hope the American won't refuse Tarpi's visa application AGAIN like they did in Fed cup.
Davai Russia!!!!!!!!!
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Post by Dina on Sept 28, 2007 22:22:26 GMT 3
if they refuse him the VISA again, Marat and Dima could do such a mess there!!!!!
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Post by Alya10 on Sept 28, 2007 23:45:58 GMT 3
Very interesting indeed. We can argue that he only worked on one side of the argument, while there are many more factors to explore why some talents don't bloom as they potentially could have. We could also ask why the most recent american players like Roddick have not won more than 1 GS yet (same could be said for another player from a nation with traditions in tennis: Hewitt), or why such small nations as Switzweland and Belgium who are by no means poor countries where they players have to struggle to get through the hardships (and who have much less population than the US or Russia) have delivered such champions as Roger Federer, Martina Hingis and Justine Henin, or why Spain and Argentina nations which such long legions of players apiece have only Ferrero, Moya and Nadal as GS winners (and only on clay)... it would be a neverendind and very interesting debate... thanks for posting Annette  |
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Post by Addie on Sept 29, 2007 0:17:43 GMT 3
Very interesting indeed. We can argue that he only worked on one side of the argument, while there are many more factors to explore why some talents don't bloom as they potentially could have. We could also ask why the most recent american players like Roddick have not won more than 1 GS yet (same could be said for another player from a nation with traditions in tennis: Hewitt), or why such small nations as Switzweland and Belgium who are by no means poor countries where they players have to struggle to get through the hardships (and who have much less population than the US or Russia) have delivered such champions as Roger Federer, Martina Hingis and Justine Henin, or why Spain and Argentina nations which such long legions of players apiece have only Ferrero, Moya and Nadal as GS winners (and only on clay)... it would be a neverendind and very interesting debate... thanks for posting Annette You make some interesting points, but in actuality, Hewitt won two grand slams: US Open 2001 and Wimbledon 2002. Second, Andy might only have one grand slam at the moment, but to imply that he has disappointed is incorrect. From 2003 to 2006, Andy was in at least one grand slam final a year, for a total of four final appearances in four years. And of course, the Bryan Brothers have had exceptional results for years. Besides that, the US is starting to show promise with Sam Querrey, Donald Young, and Amer Delic. I believe what the writer was trying to accomplish was the fact that Russia doesn't seem to have a new generation coming up. Their current prospects, Marat included unfortunately, haven't been doing well in the last year. But to be honest, these kinds of articles appear every time a country has a bad year when it comes to bringing in titles. America's been dealing with it for a few years; it's Russia's turn to take some flack. I'm not saying it's fair, just that it's going to happen. |
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Post by Alya10 on Sept 29, 2007 0:42:19 GMT 3
[quote author=alya10 board=tournament thread=1159442245 post=1191012358 ... but in actuality, Hewitt won two grand slams: US Open 2001 and Wimbledon 2002. Your right! Sorry Leytton, I forgot about that one I never said he has disappointed, and I was not blaming the guy for not having achieved more, YET. I give him credit for working hard to improve his game which he has and for being consistently in the top. Please don't take my words as an attack on any player. I was just merely raising up some points the could be up for discussion. Nothing more. I don't even think the article was a bad one, far from it, or that it was an attack on Russia. I don't think it was. I think the author merely made an honest analysis from one perspective and chose to compare the US with Russia because they happen to be the 2 nations in the Davis Cup final. That's all. kisses  |
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Post by davis on Sept 29, 2007 1:23:40 GMT 3
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D Boy, it's so easy to entertain you guys |
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Post by Addie on Sept 29, 2007 4:39:05 GMT 3
I see, Alya. It must have just been the tone of your message that had me thinking you were knocking on good players. Sometimes it's hard to tell when you're not conversing with someone in person. ;D |
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Post by Alya10 on Sept 30, 2007 18:25:46 GMT 3
Just Asking: 10 Questions on September 26
By Kamakshi Tandon
1. Does Davis Cup leave the players nervous wrecks?
Nervous, maybe. Wrecks, definitely.
Illness and injuries led to five players scratching vital matches during this weekend's Davis Cup ties. Lleyton Hewitt pulled out of his reverse singles against Novak Djokovic with a viral infection, and it takes a lot to keep Hewitt from fronting up for a decisive Davis Cup rubber. Thomas Johansson didn't play his reverse singles against Andy Roddick because of a stomach bug, and most of the US team were also feeling sickly during the tie.
The fourth match in the Russia-Germany tie, originally billed as Nikolay Davydenko vs. Tommy Haas, turned out to be Mihkail Youzhny vs. Philipp Petzschner instead. Haas woke up with a fever and Davydenko sat out with a wrist injury.
Ivan Ljubicic didn't even manage to take the court – kidney stones kept him from playing the opening day's singles against Great Britain.
It didn't stop there - Djokovic, Roddick, South Korean flagbearer Hyung-Taik Lee, Thomas Johansson and fellow Swedish team member Joachim Johansson all pulled out of Bangkok a few days later.
2. How can you tell if Davydenko is really trying to win?
When he behaves like a sore loser afterwards.
Dogged by a betting scandal since this summer, Nikolay Davydenko caused a bit of a rumble at the US Open when he seemed to attribute Roger Federer's success to being "lucky." When he lost early to Marin Cilic in Beijing, Davydenko said, "I cannot say the reason is that Cilic was great – I didn't see him play anything great, he plays like everyone plays."
After losing his opening Davis Cup match in five sets, he said the surface chosen by his team wasn't to his liking. "I would have preferred playing on hardcourt," said Davydenko. "But our coaches decided to play this tie on clay, which suited Marat Safin, but he isn't even playing."
3. Shouldn't that tell the US Davis Cup team something?
Davis Cup finals at home don't come along that often, so why not milk the advantages?
It looks like Davydenko will get his wish when he plays the Davis Cup final against the United States. The US will be hosting the tie on some sort of fast indoor hardcourt in Portland, Ore. After learning that his team would be playing the final at home, Andy Roddick said, "I can promise you it will not be on anything other than a hard court or some sort of hard surface. We're going to try to export all of the clay out of the state of Oregon for the tie."
Strangely, grass didn't rate a mention. Davydenko had won exactly one match on the surface before this year and Safin hasn't been past the third round at Wimbledon in six years, when he suddenly developed a complex about playing on the green stuff. Both, however, have won the Paris Masters on a fast indoor surface.
"I promise you, any grass court that's put in indoors in December would be a piece of crap," said Roddick. But the tie could be played outdoors in some parts of the country, and as for the quality of the grass – in 1999, the Australians hosted the Russians on what Yevgeny Kafelnikov described as a "potato field." The Aussies stomped to a 4-1 win.
4. Say, where was Marat during Davis Cup, anyway?
He was there – just in the stands instead of on court.
A couple of weeks ago, Safin reported that he would be taking the rest of the season off to nurse a wrist injury and climb the nearly 30,000-foot Cho Oyu mountain on the Nepal-Tibet border. After the approximately 6,000-foot trek up to the mountain's base camp, however, Safin decided enough was enough. He quit the expedition and arrived back home in time to watch his compatriots in Moscow's Olympic Stadium. The mercurial Russian is also now planning to play Madrid in three weeks' time, by when he'll have rested his wrist for the recommended 4-6 weeks.
Will he play the Davis Cup final? Russian captain Shamil Tarpishchev hopes so, and hey – it'll be on a flat surface.
5. Are there any other magic cures for injuries?
Less than five months after giving birth, Lindsay Davenport won her comeback tournament in Bali and went on a run of eight straight matches. "Maybe the pregnancy gave me some magical powers, I don't know," she said. "I swear this is probably the first tournament I've played in four years where I didn't have anything wrong with my lower extremities."
6. Kimmy, did you hear that?
Kim Clijsters, who's expecting a baby girl in January, was already back on the court this weekend – but it was only to play an exhibition doubles event at the WTA tournament in Luxembourg. She said her pregnancy has been smooth so far but made no mention of a possible return to tour. Davenport aims to change that. "Now I just have to talk Kim into coming back. I don't think she has any plans to do it but we'll try."
7. Is there a downside to being in the running for the Masters Cup?
"Are you sure this isn't isn't going to hurt?" The top players in the race to Shanghai get measured up for their potential terracotta warrior statues. (See right.)
8. How can you predict when Federer's going to lose?
Check the doubles lineup. Four of the six times Roger Federer has played doubles this year, he's ended up losing the event, including at Indian Wells, Rome and Montreal. The latest was this weekend's Davis Cup tie against the Czechs, where Federer won his two singles matches but fell in the doubles. The Swiss lost the tie 3-2.
9. Is it possible not to get along with someone you have so much in common with?
Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski have never been the best of friends. So it's ironic that they have the same birthday (September 6), their wives have the same first name (Lucy), and even their oldest daughters are named after the same hue (Rose, Scarlett). In fact, since Henman has called his second daughter Olivia, Rusedski's next daughter will probably be called Jade.
So it makes sense that, on Saturday, Henman ended his career the same way Rusedski did back in April – winning a Davis Cup doubles match with Jamie Murray.
10. Why does Davis Cup at Wimbledon feel different from Wimbledon at Wimbledon?
Sponsor logos on the walls.
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Post by maryb on Sept 30, 2007 22:44:05 GMT 3
Will he play the Davis Cup final? Russian captain Shamil Tarpishchev hopes so, and hey – it'll be on a flat surface. LMAO. There's an ascent to the net though. Don't get altitude sickness! |
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Post by jenhatter06 on Oct 9, 2007 16:32:16 GMT 3
Safin's return could give Americans fits October 8, 2007 (C) 2007 PA SPORTSTICKER INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED sports.yahoo.com/ten/news;_ylt=AkjFrJKvI7CbI.rFUmhMQCQ4v7YF?slug=txtennisnotes&prov=st&type=lgnsBy Barry Millns PA SportsTicker Contributing Editor LONDON (Ticker) - The United States' hopes of winning the Davis Cup in December just got a whole lot harder with the news that Marat Safin is back in action. Contrary to last month's reports that Russia's talisman was ruled out for the rest of the season with a wrist injury, he has returned to the tour at this week's Kremlin Cup in Moscow refreshed after a spot of mountaineering in Nepal. Back in August, the 27 year-old former world No. 1 was knocked out of the U.S. Open in the second round - the latest setback for a man who has struggled with injuries and lack of form since he picked up his last title at the 2005 Australian Open. But having subsequently missed Russia's Davis Cup semifinal victory versus Germany, Safin is now likely to be available again for the defending champions 12 months after he captured the title on home soil versus Argentina. Safin may have struggled individually over the past two seasons, yet when it comes to playing for his country, the mercurial Safin invariably produces big performances. Just ask the American No. 1 Andy Roddick, who was beaten by him in straight sets in the opening rubber of last year's Davis Cup semifinal between Russia and the United States in Moscow. Safin's recent attempt at climbing the world's sixth-highest mountain, Cho-Oyu, on the Nepal-Tibet border may have been aborted but the experience seems to have re-energized him for the challenges that lie ahead for the rest of this season, beginning at the Kremlin Cup and most likely ending at the Davis Cup final in Portland, Oregon. "I felt like I needed to take my mind off tennis for a while," Safin said on his return to the Russian capital. "I was little bit injured. I thought it was a good time to go. It was a great experience. It's hard to explain with words. You have to be there to understand how it feels." Quoting a Russian proverb, Safin added: "It's better to see one time than to hear 100 times." If he ever gets around to writing an autobiography perhaps that should be its working title. A handsome, articulate man who has never been afraid to show his emotions on court, Safin's colorful lifestyle off it has also contributed to making him big box office wherever he goes. ------------- on a separate note -- I can't wait!! ;D It is a bit of a dilemma for me as to who to root for, and although I do lean a bit to Andy & the boys, getting to (hopefully) see Marat & Co. makes it that much sweeter. woot!  FYI - tickets go on sale on Monday (October 15th) (!!!!!) Info here - rosequarter.com/RQEventDetail/tabid/97/EventID/210/Default.aspx |
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Post by realitytvisntreal on Oct 9, 2007 16:47:21 GMT 3
I am going to try my hardest to get tickets to DC. Wish me luck!!!
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