GAMBILL AND U.S. DAVIS CUP -- NOT MEANT TO BE?

Posted on January 29, 2003

By Richard Vach

He was once himself the future of U.S. Davis Cup, one of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World," slapping two-handed winners in singles and teaming with a young up-and-comer named Andy Roddick in doubles, talking non-stop about his ever-improving volley and getting the U.S. team back on track. Now the U.S. Davis Cup team is back on track, but where is Jan-Michael Gambill?

While it seems like ages ago, it has only been two years since Jan-Mike stepped on a tennis court to represent the U.S., in February 2001 when the U.S. "B" team (lacking Pete Sampras or Andre Agassi) of Gambill and Todd Martin were routed in the opening round of the World Group by Roger Federer and Switzerland. This was the Federer who was still coming into his own back then, still green, and people were giving the shaky nod to the U.S., but a red-hot Fed and a lackluster Gambill turned the tie into a blowout.

In the beginning Jan-Mike looked to take things in hand, defeating Michel Kratochvil to even things at 1-1 after Martin had lost to Federer. But in the crucial Saturday doubles, U.S. Captain Patrick McEnroe went with Gambill and the explosive (not in a good way, more like "implosive") Justin Gimelstob. Facing Fed and Lorenzo Manta (that should have meant a "W" right there), Gambill stoned every other volley he got his racquet on, the gangly Gimelstob fell about the court like a baby deer on acid, and after three quick sets the U.S. was looking at a 1-2 deficit, with the next singles a must-win.

Problem was, the hot-handed Fed was up next in singles...against Gambill. Jan-Mike had been spouting all week about his tough service returns and improved volleys, but Captain Mac could only watch in frustration as Gambill drilled returns into the net and stoned volleys, and Federer's ground game dissected "Hollywood" with surgical precision. The tie was over, Swiss anthems blared, and that was the last that U.S. Davis Cup fans saw of Gambill. Thankfully, some said.

That was also the beginning of a rash of shoulder and knee problems that would plague Jan-Mike, and with Gambill in doubt, Pat Mac took the bold opportunity to introduce Andy Roddick (who had only one D-Cup match under his belt) and the untested James Blake as his singles players for the next pivotal qualifying match against India in October 2001. If the U.S. lost, they would be out of the World Group and relegated to zonal competition for at least a year. Roddick and Blake routed India, winning all four singles matches, and Captain Mac has never looked back.

Perhaps fate conspired against Gambill, who has been dogged by the "L" ever since he lost in his D-Cup debut in 1998 in the U.S. to Italy's Andrea Gaudenzi. Gambill was then left off the team for the next four ties until, with the retirement of Jim Courier, and Sampras and Agassi putting Davis Cup on the back burner, Gambill and Martin were called up to face Spain, on clay, in Spain. Not an enviable task for any player, much less Gambill, who at this point in his career appeared allergic to the red stuff. Gambill and Martin lost the two singles (to Albert Costa and Alex Corretja respectively), then were out-finessed in the doubles by Corretja and Juan Balcells. Game, set, and tie, 0-3, and Gambill was on a plane back to the U.S. Pete and Andre had gotten the U.S. to the semifinals against the Czech Republic in the previous round, and Jan-Mike and Todd sent them home, a brutal wake-up as to what U.S. Davis Cup looked like without the former world No. 1s heeding the call.

Gambill's next match was the Swiss Massacre, and he was done. In three ties over four years he logged a 2-4 record in singles, and 0-2 in doubles. And that is likely where the U.S. Davis Cup history book will close on Jan-Michael Gambill.

In 2002 he continued to struggle with injury, his ranking dropped 20 spots from the previous year, and he failed to win a singles title. To begin 2003 he reached the finals in Doha, then spun-out losing second round at Auckland and second round at the Australian Open. After the Australian Open, when it was announced that Roddick could not play the Davis Cup tie against Croatia due to a wrist injury, Gambill's name was not even mentioned among the pool of American "C" players under consideration. McEnroe announced he would likely go with Mardy Fish, who has never played a Davis Cup singles match.

At the age of 25, don't say Gambill, who some have likened to the Anna Kournikova of the men's tour, is washed up. But if injuries persist, and the man who is better known for his abs than collecting titles does not produce results, and produce soon, what could have been a glaring addition to U.S. Davis Cup history will go down as barely a blip. A beautiful, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, abs-popping, shirtless-practicing, two-handed volley-stoning, injury-ridden blip.

Richard Vach is a writer/editor for Tennis-X.com. He can be reached at rvach@tennis-x.com.