Davis Cup Finals This Weekend: USA vs. Russia
Mike Bryan, Andy Roddick, Patrick McEnroe, James Blake and Bob Bryan courtesy USTA
After years of frustration, the U.S. men's tennis team is looking for its first Davis Cup title since 1995 when it hosts defending champion Russia this weekend at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. The U.S., which has won a record 31 Davis Cup championships, last appeared in the finals in 2004, when they lost Spain.
Andy Roddick, ranked sixth in the world, and
James Blake, No. 13, will play singles for the U.S. on Friday and Sunday, and Bob and Mike Bryan are handling doubles on Saturday. The Bryan brothers are ranked No. 1 in the world and have a 12-1 record in Davis Cup play.
Though the Davis Cup lacks the cachet of tennis' Grand Slam events, Roddick has long been vocal about how important the event is to him. "It's always been a huge priority for me and it's been on my list of goals to accomplish, the top couple of things since I started," he says.
As home team, the U.S. chose the surface the matches will be played on, an indoor hard court. "I think for Andy and myself it's a great situation," Blake says. "We love playing on indoor hard. We've had some of our best results there. I think the Bryans could play on Pluto and still be the favorites. We know we're going to have a raucous crowd on our side. I think this is the perfect situation for me to play some of my best tennis."
The Davis Cup Finals TV schedule:
Friday, Nov. 30: Singles
(4 pm/ET, Versus; replay 10 pm/ET, Tennis Channel)
Saturday, Dec. 1: Doubles
(3:30 pm/ET, Versus; replay, 10 pm/ET, Tennis Channel)
Sunday, Dec. 2: Reverse Singles
(4 pm/ET, Versus; replay 10 pm/ET, Tennis Channel)
