Patrick McEnroe’s decision to resign as U.S. captain after the Sept. 17-19 tie in Bogota, Colombia, wasn’t the only surprise Davis Cup announcement this week.
Virtually unpublicized was McEnroe’s very difficult, and certainly controversial, decision to exclude the Bryan twins from this World Group Play-off Round, which will take place approximately 8,500 feet above sea level and which, like most crucial decisions captains or managers make, could make PMac look like a genius or could turn out to be the biggest mistake of his nine-year tenure as head of the team.
“With the extreme conditions and unpredictable nature of the tie in Bogota, Patrick and the team has decided it would be in the team’s best interest to have three singles options (Sam Querrey, John Isner and Mardy Fish). Mike and I will not be joining the team in Colombia, but have full confidence they will return victorious. We look forward to playing Davis Cup in future ties.”
That was the stilted and not particularly warm statement issued by the brothers. It sounded like something the public relations team at British Petroleum slapped together. Moreover, I found it surprising that the brothers weren’t traveling with the team, even if they’re not playing. No one who has played Davis Cup for the U.S. in the last 10 years, including Andy Roddick, and is as committed to it as Bob and Mike Bryan.
It’s difficult to assume all isn’t quite right in U.S. Davis Cup land, but reporters and bloggers are skeptics by nature, and it’s probably good they are.
Especially when one source of mine says, “I was surprised they’re not on the team. I’m sure there’s a back story, a few other variables in that equation. But it’s not for me to discuss.”
The source for this is excellent, but I’m not going to identify him, and those who know me know I don’t use wild remarks issued by people who have personal agendas.
Here’s what McEnroe had to consider in dropping the Bryans:
- Bob and Mike are as close to a guaranteed point as you get in Cup competition. They are 16-2 in Davis Cup, 7-0 on clay, which is the surface for this tie, and 8-0 on the road. They are the best doubles team in the world and probably would be facing No. 140-ranked Carlos Salamanca and No. 280 Juan-Sebastien Cabal.
- If he took the twins, he would have a very difficult choice in selecting two singles players from among Sam Querrey, John Isner and Mardy Fish. Though Fish has had an extremely hot summer, he’s also the least efficient of the three on clay.
- The last time the U.S. played in Bogota, decades ago, they were heavily favored, but never handled the tough conditions, meaning the altitude and the crowd noise, and were upset. No doubt McEnroe is aware of the history and is covering his backside with a third singles player, figuring that even though Isner and Querrey don’t have the doubles record of the Bryans, they’re good enough and have played together enough that they’ll bring home the doubles point.
Querrey won Memphis this year with Isner and San Jose with Fish. He and Isner played only one Slam, the Aussie Open, and went out in the round of 16. Querrey is 21-10 in doubles in 2010.
Isner is 20-7 in doubles and Fish 17-11. Fish has played most of his doubles with doubles maven Mark Knowles, and they lost in the round of 32 at the French Open, in the first round at Wimbledon and reached the quarters at the U.S. Open.
I’m sure McEnroe is thinking that even if he doesn’t win the doubles point, if he can put two fit, well-prepared singles guys out there, he’ll win three of the four singles points and the U.S. will return winners.
However, if the U.S. loses this tie, it is out of the 16-country World Group competition for the first time since 1988 (and for only the second time ever), so there is, in one sense, more pressure on the team than if this was World Group semifinal. Colombia’s singles players are No. 60 Santiago Giraldo and No. 65 Alejandro Falla.