Fish (left) with former Davis Cup teammate Andy Roddick
Former Florida junior tennis standout and Top 10-ranked pro Mardy Fish has been named the new captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team. He succeeds Jim Courier to become the 41st captain in the team’s 120-year history and will make his debut at the newly-transformed Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Finals on Nov. 18-24, 2019 in Madrid, Spain.
“Ever since I started playing professionally and started understanding what the Davis Cup was and how special it was, even as a player, I wanted to be the Davis Cup captain,” Fish said. “I just thought that position was so special — leading the guys and leading the team, building relationships and the team aspect around it. I’m a team-sport athlete stuck in an individual sport, and I love the team aspect of Davis Cup. To even be considered, let alone named the captain, is incredibly humbling.”
Under Fish the role of U.S. Davis Cup captain will be expanded, working more closely with USTA Player Development throughout the year, as well as traveling to multiple tournaments and camps to support American players, serving as a mentor for pros and juniors. He will also ensure the U.S. Davis Cup team remains a strong platform to grow the game through the USTA’s Net Generation youth initiative.
“Mardy Fish embodies all of the qualities of a successful Davis Cup captain and will be an invaluable asset to Team USA,” said USTA Chairman of the Board and President Patrick Galbraith. “His achievements as a player both on tour and in Davis Cup are renowned, and his acumen for the game is as strong as his relationships with our American players. There are few people in tennis as qualified to lead the U.S. Davis Cup team into the next decade, and we cannot wait to see what that future has in store under Mardy’s leadership.”
The 37-year-old Fish as a pro won a combined 14 ATP World Tour titles (six singles, eight doubles) before retiring at the 2015 US Open. He also produced a number of signature performances while representing his country, earning the singles silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, and writing his name in the U.S. Davis Cup record book with 11 appearances.
Fish is the last U.S. Davis Cup player to win three live matches in a single tie. In his last Davis Cup playing appearance, Fish beat Stan Wawrinka in five sets and teamed with Mike Bryan to beat Wawrinka and Roger Federer in a 5-0 sweep of Switzerland in the 2012 first round.
After retiring in 2015, Fish worked part-time as a coach with USTA Player Development, helping to guide young Americans on tour, including Taylor Fritz and Jared Donaldson, through 2017.
For additional info go to www.usta.com/news.
