Friday Tennis Blog: U.S. Davis Cup Today vs. Murray, Britain; More

Photo: ITF

BRITAIN FAVORITES; DONALD YOUNG SECRET WEAPON IN DAVIS CUP? 

No. 5-ranked Andy Murray will lead the Brits, and No. 20-ranked John Isner the Americans when Britain hosts the U.S. in the first round of Davis Cup World Group play this weekend. Andre Agassi weighed in this week, saying Murray should be a lock to win both his matches, meaning the U.S. will need wins from Isner and Donald Young over Brit No. 2 James Ward, and the Bryan brothers in doubles. “Isner is going to have to step up,” Agassi told The Independent. “He’s going to have to get at least one win. It’s 50-50.” When the U.S. and Britain met last year, Britain’s Ward upset Sam Querrey to lead his team to the win on U.S. soil. This weekend Young will try and play the spoiler at the U.S. No. 2 spot in singles. He has a win to his credit over Murray, beating the Scot in 2011 at Indian Wells, and he beat Ward last year in their lone career meeting on grass at Eastbourne. “I hope we can get over the finishing line and I’ll have my fingers crossed like the rest of us,” Agassi said of the U.S. squad. UPDATE: Murray d. Young in four sets in the first singles.

WIN A DOUBLES MAIN DRAW WILDCARD AT THE US OPEN

Want to play men’s or women’s doubles at the US Open this August? The US Open National Playoffs format has been expanded to include men’s and women’s doubles, with the winners of the national event receiving wildcards directly into the US Open doubles main draw. The national mixed doubles winner also receives a main draw wildcard, and the men’s and women’s singles national winners will receive wildcards into the US Open singles qualifying. Players can qualify for the national tournament by winning any of the 14 USTA sectional tournaments that will be held across the U.S. in May and June. Check out the schedule or for more general information click here.

MISCELLANEOUS

Serbia’s Davis Cup home tie venue this weekend seats only 3,000, and Novak Djokovic is voicing frustration that  reportedly more than 95 percent of tickets went to politicians and “criminals,” and not Serb fans who waited in line…Is former Wimbledon champ Marion Bartoli planning to un-retire for a WTA tour comeback? The next British star behind Andy Murray could be footy star David Beckham’s son….ESPN3 will show the BNP Paribas Showdown/World Tennis Day matches, Roger Federer vs. Grigor Dimitrov and Monica Seles vs. Gabriela Sabatini, live on March 10 at 7:30 p.m., with a repeat of the Federer-Dimitrov match at 11 p.m. on ESPN2…Juan Martin del Potro says he hopes to make his return from injury at the Miami Open…After tennis changed his life, this judge is sentencing at-risk kids who go afoul of the law to play tennis…This Sunday will air the Sam Querrey “Millionaire Matchmaker” episode on Bravo. “My friends are all the American guys and I think they’re just really excited for it to come out,” said Querrey, who says he will likely watch it with friends while preparing at the Indian Wells event. “Probably to make fun of me.”

U.S. Players Gear-up for Indian Wells

No American women remain in action as of Friday at WTA events at the Abierto Monterrey Afirme in Monterrey, Mexico, and the BMW Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur, with players preparing for the beginning of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., in the middle of next week.

Women’s main draw play begins on Wednesday, and the men start on Thursday in the desert.

Serena Williams will return to Indian Wells for the first time in 13 years. She won the title in her last appearance in 2001 (d. Kim Clijsters), and also in 1999 (d. Steffi Graf).

In last year’s men’s final Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer in a third-set tiebreaker, and Flavia Pennetta beat Aggie Radwanska in the women’s final. The Bryan brothers are the two-time defending champions in the men’s doubles.

They Said It

Jim Courier (Photo: ITF/Dave Shopland)

“There’s not one American member of the press here, and we didn’t expect there to be…There are tennis fans that know we are playing here and no one else.”
— U.S. Davis Cup Captain Jim Courier this week in Scotland for the Davis Cup World Group first round

“You’re making it sound like I went through, I don’t know, that I almost died and there was 10 sharks and I got attacked and I survived. And I saved a dolphin, as well.”
— Victoria Azarenka responding to the media on her rash of injuries last year

“A lot of coaches say you don’t need to worry about your opponent, just play your game. To me that’s stupid. Of course you want to play your game, but you have to be smart about what you’re doing, when there are certain things that you can control.”
— Michael Joyce, former coach of Maria Sharapova, speaking to tennisrecruting.net

Tennis on TV This Weekend

(times subject to change)

Friday
8am-2pm — Davis Cup, U.S. vs. Britain (live), Tennis Channel
2:30-6pm — Davis Cup, Germany vs. France (delay), Tennis Channel
6pm-12am — WTA Monterrey QF (live), Tennis Channel

Saturday
8am-2pm — Davis Cup, U.S. vs. Britain (live), Tennis Channel
11:30am-2pm — Davis Cup, Germany vs. France (delay), Tennis Channel
5-9pm — WTA Monterrey QF (live), Tennis Channel

Sunday
9am-3pm — Davis Cup, U.S. vs. Britain (live), Tennis Channel
6-8pm — WTA Monterrey QF (delay), Tennis Channel