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Davis Cup Venues Announced, Hingis Scheduling DecisionView Comments (9) | View Discussions
Posted on December 16, 2005
2006 Davis Cup Venues, Surfaces Announced
The venues and surfaces have been announced for the first round of the 2006 Davis Cup to take place on the weekend of Feb. 10, 2006. Tennis-X breaks down the match-ups (presented in draw order), with both the defending champs Croatia and runner-up Slovak Republic facing away-match claycourt testers:
Croatia at Austria
The Austrians will host in Graz on indoor red clay, hoping to put the big-serving Croatian tandem of defending champs Ivan Ljubicic and Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic at a slip-sliding disadvantage. Look for the Croats to power through what could be a difficult situation against the hot-and-cold Jurgen "Tuna" Melzer and some combination of Stefan Koubek, who is still trying to rebound from a doping violation in 2005, and Alexander Peya.
Sweden at Argentina
Since the creation of the World Group in 1981, Sweden has led with six titles, but you couldn't tell by the modern-day Swedisn team which is old and/or seemingly constantly injured. Swedish next-generation youngsters Joachim "The Jackhammer" Johansson (shoulder surgery) and Robin Soderling (knee surgery) did not produce in 2005, leaving oldsters Jonas Bjorkman and Thomas Johansson to struggle to a first-round loss to France then a World Group-berth-saving win against India in the qualifying round. Now Argentina will makes things ugly again for the Swedes, with Gauchos David Nalbandian, Guillermo Coria, Gaston Gaudio are crew hosting a red clay rout in Buenos Aires.
Spain at Belarus
The defending champ Spaniards were not happy in 2005 when the Slovaks put them on an ice-slick indoor court resulting in a first round loss, and they were likewise grumbly when they learned their first round in 2006 would be a trip to a slick indoor carpet surface in Minsk against Belarus. Rafael Nadal, Juan Carlos Ferrero and crew (minus Carlos Moya who has given up on Davis Cup) will be out to prove just how well their games have adapted to fast surfaces against the net-crushing attack of Max "The Beast" Mirnyi and Vladimir "The Vladiator" Voltchkov for Belarus.
Australia at Switzerland
Brilliant! The Swiss put the Aussies on clay, where Lleyton Hewitt has trouble generating pace, and the non-Top 50 Aussie No. 2 (potentially Mark Philippousis or Wayne Arthurs) will similarly struggle against three-time Masters-Series Hamburg champ and French Open semifinalist Roger Federer, and clay-loving Swiss No. 2 Stan Wawrinka. Nicely done, with the only kink in Federer saying he may skip the first round of Davis Cup as he did in 2005.
France at Germany
Perhaps the most interesting first-round match-up pits two storied countries without any world-killers in Tommy Haas, Nicolas Kiefer and Rainer Schuettler for the home Germans on an indoor hardcourt against France's mix of next-generation players Richard Gasquet and Paul-Henri Mathieu, and oldsters Sebastien Grosjean and Arnaud Clement. Give the slight nod to the visiting Frenchmen, who bring in Masters Cup Doubles winners Michael Llodra and Fabrice Santoro.
Russia at The Netherlands
Visitors Marat Safin and Nikolay Davydenko will be the favorites on indoor carpet in this match-up unless come February Safin has failed to rebound from the knee injury that kept him out for much of 2005. The Dutch will be big underdogs as they attempt to defend the home turf with a group of near-Challenger level players in "Everybody Loves" Raemon Sluiter, Sjeng Schalken, Peter "Nuclear" Wessels, and retired/not-retired doubles specialist Paul Haarhuis.
Romania at U.S.
It could be "Dream Team II," though you remember what happened to Dream Team I in the opening round last year against Croatia, when Andy Roddick and possibly Andre Agassi team to defend the home turf against Romania on outdoor hardcourt in La Jolla, California. The Americans will be anchored in doubles by the Bryan brothers against a not-so-strong Romanian squad comprised of Andrei Pavel and Victor Hanescu, both of who are more comfortable on a slow claycourt when not facing players ranked in the Top 10. The dream here for Romania might be to come away from the tie without getting blanked.
Slovak Republic at Chile
Last year Russia took advantage of a home court and injury to Nicolas Massu to ambush Chile 4-1, but in 2006 the Chileans see a draw with better possibilities. The homecourt Chileans will host the 2005 runner-up Slovaks on red clay, and have not lost at home since 1996. Fernando "Gonzo" Gonzalez and Massu will be the favorites against visitors Dominik "The Dominator" Hrbaty and Karol Beck, with a second-round visit to the U.S. looming for Chile.
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DAILY TENNIS-X E-NEWSLETTER
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DECEMBER TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
From the ITF: Following Donald Young's defeat at the Orange Bowl to Robin Roshardt, Marin Cilic has decided not to let his dreams of becoming ITF Junior World Champion die. Both players are now heading to the Yucatan Cup in Mexico to try to capture the points needed to secure the title. Cilic had not planned to play the Yucatan Cup, therefore after his own defeat at the Orange Bowl had given up the challenge. However, as Donald Young did not go on to take the title, which would have given him enough ranking points to secure the Year End No. 1 position, Cilic has decided to resurect the fight. As the situation is still complicated, based on how far each player progresses in the tournament, in both singles and doubles..."...Tracy Austin on the WTA injury problems: "It's not a coincidence there are this many injuries," Austin told BBC Sport. "If the WTA and (their chief executive) Larry Scott don't take this as a big warning that something needs to be done, then they have got a problem. The players are crying out for the season to be shorter. During the summer hardcourt season, Kim Clijsters played four weeks in a row and really saved some of the tournaments. But some of the tournaments still didn't do as well as they should because a lot of the top players were injured. The WTA needs to shorten the season, because the biggest factor in the injuries is over-use."...Australia's The Epoch Times' Darrell Halim on the state of Aussie tennis: "With the 2005 tennis season coming to an end, the year-end ranking for Australians competing on the professional circuit has confirmed the current lack of depth in Australian tennis. In singles, the current crop of Australians only yields three active players finishing the year in the Top 100 in the world. Australia's most recognised player, Adelaide-born Lleyton Hewitt, will finish the year at number four in the world on the men's ATP Tour, while Queensland local Samantha Stosur finishes the year at number 46 on the women's circuit, the WTA Tour."...Andy Murray says he and his brother Jamie will shoot for a Wimbledon doubles wildcard in 2006...Australian Open officials say they will consider the ATP's abbreviated doubles scoring for 2007...Andy Roddick says he will flail away in 2006 with a more aggressive attitude, speaking to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "Constant aggression. That's going to be my mantra in 2006. My biggest problem is when I get passive. When I have a mindset of constant aggression, I get better."...Monica Seles says she will officially hang it up if she can't make a comeback in 2006: "I'm still training and still trying, but at the same time I'm realistic. After 2006, if not, then it's pretty sure. You have to move on...My game is not at the level that I personally feel comfortable playing against the girls. It's my foot, it's giving me not as much time to train, to put in my many hours. The consistency is just not there."...James Blake has signed with Prince racquets...After getting worked 6-1 in an exhibition by Martina Hingis, who is herself expected to take her knocks when she returns to the WTA Tour in 2006, don't expect much from the hopeful comeback whispers about Anna Kournikova...Michael Chang will make his senior tour debut on the Jim Courier-sponsored U.S.-only Champions tour...From tennisvegas.com: "The Barry Levinson Law Classic is one of the largest and most competitive tournaments in Nevada history. The tournament boasts such famous former entrants as Andre Agassi, his sister Rita and brother Fillip, former # 1 ranked junior Joey Blake, Christain and Catrina Thompson (now NCAA ranked #1 in doubles) and many others. Never in the history of the event have three sisters swept the 12's, 14's and 16's age division. This past weekend the Eslami family from California came into town and did just that. This tennis town was created by the superstar Andre Agassi and his father who coached him to stardom."...Check out the classic photo at www.tennisreporters.net of Matt Cronin and Kim Clijsters with her Halloween costume on...Stuart Smith was confirmed as the new president of the Lawn Tennis Association at the organisation's annual meeting on Wednesday...SI.com's Jon Wertheim named Nicole Vaidisova women's Newcomer of the Year for 2005? The same Vaidisova who won two titles last year? C'mon...Will Martina Hingis wisely begin her season against lesser talent at some WTA events, or go for the cash at the Hong Kong exhibition and be hammered by the likes of Lindsay Davenport, Kim Clijsters, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Elena Dementieva and Nicole Vaidisova?...From smh.au: "The murky world of tennis gambling is back in the spotlight. One of Victoria's largest sports betting agencies has been granted protection against suspicious injury defaults, in new rules to come into effect the week before the Australian Open. Various agencies have long been concerned about betting plunges ? both locally and internationally -- they believe to be based on insider knowledge of player injuries. For more than 12 months they have been negotiating for incomplete matches to be declared void, and refunds paid. Tennis has thus been singled out by the new TAB Sportsbet rules, approved by the Victorian Commission for Gaming Regulations, and effective nationally from January 8. For withdrawals in other sports -- for example, one-on-one matchplay golf -- results will stand regardless of injuries. The first major local tournament to be affected will be the Sydney International, as well as minor women's events in Canberra and Hobart. Betting on matches in the first week of the season, including tournaments in Perth, Adelaide, Auckland, Chennai and Doha, will operate under the old system."...From the Herald Sun: "Tennis Australia has made a $293,361 loss for the financial year ending June 30. A downturn in income from Davis Cup and Fed Cup ties -- a drop from $7.7 million to $1.3 million -- was a contributing factor. Australia won the 2003 Davis Cup, but lost in the first round to Sweden in Adelaide last year, robbing TA of vital ticketing and promotional opportunities. Under a revamped hierarchy, led by Steve Wood and Craig Tiley, the sport is thriving, despite worrying elite performances."...From the Adelaide Adviser: "Todd Reid, the forgotten man of Australian tennis, will today take another important step in a long-awaited renaissance. The 2002 Wimbledon junior singles champion will contest the Australian Open training camp wildcard playoff at Melbourne Park. Ranked 104th in September last year, Reid has slipped to 386th after succumbing to glandular fever and ankle injuries. "Hopefully I can get back near the Top 100, that's my goal," he said. "I'm only 21 and I know I've got a few good years left."...WTA President Stacy Allaster with a backhanded compliment to news of Anna Kournikova not ruling out a comeback: "I can't say Anna did damage to our sport. She attracted predominantly a young male sports fan we hadn't been able to capture yet. Whether she's a rock star or tennis player, she's an entertainer. Maria [Sharapova] wants to be No. 1 in the world first and foremost. Being a model is secondary."
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