Andy Roddick tasted Grand Slam success. He was ranked No. 1. No
one serves the ball faster.
One gap on his resume? A Davis Cup title, something he and the
United States can move closer to by beating Austria in a
first-round match in Uncasville, Conn.
"It's a lot easier to play a big match in a Grand Slam than it
is to play a big match in Davis Cup. It's still something I'm
learning about," the U.S. Open champion said. "The more I get out
there, the more chances I get, the better I will get in this
situation. So I'm excited to get out there this weekend."
The draw for the best-of-five match is Thursday. There are two
singles matches each Friday and Sunday, with doubles Saturday.
Other first-round matchups include defending champion Australia
hosting Sweden, and Switzerland -- led by Australian Open champion
and new No. 1 Roger Federer -- at Romania. Also, Spain is at the
Czech Republic, Argentina at Morocco, Canada at the Netherlands,
Russia at Belarus, and Croatia at France.
Roddick is joined on the U.S. team by Robby Ginepri, who'll be
making his Davis Cup debut, and the doubles pairing of twins Bob
and Mike Bryan. Mardy Fish is the reserve.
It's a young group: Roddick and Ginepri are 21, Fish is 22, and
the Bryans are 25. And it's a talent-rich roster that captain
Patrick McEnroe figures can end the U.S. drought.
The United States has won the international competition a record
31 times -- but zero since 1995.
"That plays on our mind a lot. All these guys, all of our
players, are very committed. And the one thing they have all said
to me as we look forward to this year is that we want to win it,"
said McEnroe, younger brother of his predecessor as captain, John
McEnroe.
"We're not satisfied with winning a couple of matches. We want
to win the whole thing. And that's the first time I've heard that
from them. That's the first time that I really believe that we have
a strong chance to win it."
First things first, though.
In 2003, the United States lost in the first round to Croatia
and had to beat Slovakia in a playoff just to remain in the top
tier of the Davis Cup. A loss to Austria -- a country with no Davis
Cup titles and no players ranked in the top 50 -- would be a real
setback.
Roddick is No. 3, while Ginepri is a career-high No. 25 after
reaching the fourth round of a major for the first time at the
Australian Open. The Bryans lead the doubles rankings.
"This is one of the best teams in the world," Austrian captain
Gunter Bresnik said. "I hope it is going to be a tough
competition, but we are the underdogs. It is also possible to win
as an underdog."
He will count on No. 76 Jurgen Melzer and No. 94 Stefan Koubek
in singles. Julian Knowle is ranked 38th in doubles, and he'll
probably team with Melzer.
"It's Davis Cup, and anything can happen," Melzer said. "But
we will need to be 1-1 after the first day (to) have a chance."
McEnroe likes his team's chances in part because of camaraderie.
These players have known each other for most of their lives and
they all seem to get along well.
Roddick met the Bryans when he was 8, and Fish lived with
Roddick's family for a year during high school. Roddick and Ginepri
started playing together a decade ago, and Roddick beat Ginepri in
the 2000 U.S. Open junior final.
"There's nothing quite like not only playing for your country,
but then looking over and playing for your friends, as well,"
Roddick said. "To be able to share this experience with guys that
we actually get along with, that we're all buddies, it makes it
really fun."
There will be a chance to win -- and lose -- away from the tennis
courts this weekend. The U.S. Tennis Association put the matches in
the Mohegan Sun casino's arena. Koubek was asked during the
Australian Open what he thought of the site.
"I had no idea," he said. "Sounds good, though. At least we
can have one week of fun after practice and win some money."