Davis Cup - Spain v USA

Who will win?

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0range

0range

Hall of Fame
Let's get a jump start on the discussion of 2008 Davis Cup Semifinals, Spain against USA.

[EDIT: Querry replaced Blake, Fish replaced B. Bryan.]

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Spain:

- Rafael Nadal
- David Ferrer
- Fernando Verdasco
- Feliciano Lopez
(Almagro on reserve)

USA:

- Andy Roddick
- Sam Querry
- Mardy Fish
- Mike Bryan

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Spain is the host nation, and the event will be played on outdoor red clay.
 
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USA gets the doubles point, Spain gets the rest. It's clay, and they've got Nadal and a bunch of other claycourters to pick from. Almagro. Ferrer. Verdasco.

Blake's not even playing that well now, and Roddick's never been that good on clay. This tie looks to be straightforward.
 
Actually the Nadal and Robredo pair ain't too shabby at doubles... could the spaniards sweep all 5 ties!??
 
altho i doubt he will do good on clay, roddick actually made the semi's of rome beating ppl like robredo on the way and only lost when he got injured and retired.
 
0range said:
Actually the Nadal and Robredo pair ain't too shabby at doubles... could the spaniards sweep all 5 ties!??
Click to expand...

I don't think so. Bryan twins at doubles is a Lock. that is like a free point right there. so Roddick has to win 1 match and he has to hope either Blake or Fish can pull out a Miracle against Robredo or Verdasco.:shock:
 
The Spanish is going to win as it's play on clay court. Very slim chances for the USA to score even a point.
 
I'm going with the US on this one. Doubles is almost an automatic point for the US because the Bryan Brothers are almost invincible especially in Davis Cup. Roddick's success in Davis Cup will continue where he defeated Robredo in Rome so really anything can happen. Blake has had success against Nadal on hard courts in the past, so I could see him taking out Nadal on clay. It's going to be tough for the US to pull off a victory against Spain on home soil but they will find a way to prevail.

Listen I'm an American so obviously I'm rooting for Team USA, any American rooting for Spain would be considered unpatriotic.
 
Well for Spain, you know Nadal is a lock for singles. They couldn't really go too wrong with any of Ferrer, Robredo, or Almagro in the second singles slot, but I think Ferrer's pretty much got it.

As for the doubles, I don't really see any reason not to go with Lopez/Verdasco. They've been playing together all year for this purpose. And they've done well. They got to the Semis in Barcelona (took the Bryans to a Super TB to decide it), the QF's in Rome, and the QF's at the US Open. They clinched the DC ties against Peru and Germany this year. Why not use them now? If it really is a gimme for the Bryans (which I don't believe it is...not this year), then why bother changing what's worked? No need to throw together two players who haven't played together a lot, or the unnecessary risk of putting Nadal out there with Robredo when you might need him for the 4th rubber.

The smart money is on Spain to win the tie regardless of who Emilio Sánchez chooses to throw into the bullring, but stranger things have happened.
 
Fedace, quest01 picked USA? The better question is what will the final score be when Spain wins? Another is how many games will Roddick get against Nadal?
 
MajinX said:
altho i doubt he will do good on clay, roddick actually made the semi's of rome beating ppl like robredo on the way and only lost when he got injured and retired.
Click to expand...
I'm sure Spain is not going to pick a court that is as fast as Rome. Monte Carlo type court would be best.
 
Fedace said:
I don't think so. Bryan twins at doubles is a Lock. that is like a free point right there. so Roddick has to win 1 match and he has to hope either Blake or Fish can pull out a Miracle against Robredo or Verdasco.:shock:
Click to expand...

I don't think Mardy's been named to the team. (I don't think Sam Querrey has either.)

I think P-Mac's strategy is to go with the team that won in 2007.
But Spain has a ridiculous home court advantage - "Tabasco" Verdasco is playing in his home city, for grace sake - and the tourney is on clay.

Somehow I don't think it's gonna be a 2007 repeat.
 
MajinX said:
altho i doubt he will do good on clay, roddick actually made the semi's of rome beating ppl like robredo on the way and only lost when he got injured and retired.
Click to expand...

did you just say roddick
got injured and retired!?!?!?!?!?!

how hypocritical of him! :rolleyes:
 
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Nadal_Freak said:
I'm sure Spain is not going to pick a court that is as fast as Rome. Monte Carlo type court would be best.
Click to expand...

It does look as tho it might be clay ....

vdcwom.jpg

Venue for Davis Cup 2008 - Spain vs. USA

"The Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas is a famous bullring in Madrid.
It has a seating capacity of 25,000 and is regarded as the home
of bullfighting in Spain and arguably in the world."

4hzsp.jpg

Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas

2cwmv5d.jpg

Plaza de Toros
 
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quest01 said:
Any American rooting for Spain would be considered unpatriotic.
Click to expand...

Not if we're American but also have Spanish blood in the family.

Nací en el estado de Indiana, pero si yo estaba para asistir al partido en Madrid podría tener que usar el rojo y el blanco y cambiar las flores en mi pelo de azul al oro en función de que era ganar. Y podría sentarme en medio de la pista de tenis. :D

Perhaps to open the mind just a touch wider next time?
 
Love Game said:
It does look as tho it might be clay ....


Venue for Davis Cup 2008 - Spain vs. USA

"The Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas is a famous bullring in Madrid.
It has a seating capacity of 25,000 and is regarded as the home
of bullfighting in Spain and arguably in the world."
Click to expand...

I've read that it will be clay.
I can't believe they're going to have this tournament semi in the middle of a bullring.
Way to hammer that symbolism home. Wow.
Dear P-Mac: Consider bringing a sports psychologist. And a hypnotist.
Otherwise el equipo de España may be painting the floor (the dust?) with your boys.
 
tHIS iSNT eVEN gONNA bE cLOSE. sPAIN wILL aBSOLUTELY tHRASH uSA uNLESS dAVID fERRER pLAYS, aS dAVID wILL cHOKE aND lOSE bOTH hIS sINGLES mATCHES.
 
ruerooo said:
I've read that it will be clay.
I can't believe they're going to have this tournament semi in the middle of a bullring.
Way to hammer that symbolism home. Wow.
Dear P-Mac: Consider bringing a sports psychologist. And a hypnotist.
Otherwise el equipo de España may be painting the floor (the dust?) with your boys.
Click to expand...

You got an interesting point there, rueroo.
Are you thinking something along the lines of
inviting the American bull to the ring for fun and games?
 
Love Game said:
It does look as tho it might be clay ....

vdcwom.jpg

Venue for Davis Cup 2008 - Spain vs. USA

"The Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas is a famous bullring in Madrid.
It has a seating capacity of 25,000 and is regarded as the home
of bullfighting in Spain and arguably in the world."

4hzsp.jpg

Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas

2cwmv5d.jpg

Plaza de Toros
Click to expand...

that is a bad *** stadium i want the usa to win but have the usa ever lost 0-5 in a davis cup match
 
quest01 said:
Blake has had success against Nadal on hard courts in the past, so I could see him taking out Nadal on clay.
Click to expand...

ROFLMAO! Good one!

DC format is ********. Audience and surface are heavy odds against the visiting team that can only be overcome by a huge quality leap in singles.

US could spare the travel expenses and dedicate it to more worthy causes, same as if Spain had to be the visiting team in Winston-Salem.

And Nadal is not going to play doubles, he has to think of his singles career and him playing singles would improve Spain's already huge chances very marginally. That said, Nadal-Robredo won Monte Carlo this year, so it is true that they would be the doubles team with more chances to top the Bryans. Heck, Nadal alone could probably take out the Bryans on clay.
 
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quest01 said:
Blake has had success against Nadal on hard courts in the past, so I could see him taking out Nadal on clay.


.
Click to expand...


If Nadal can beat Blake and Roddick on hardcourts, imagine the trashing he could give them on clay. Rafa in a wheelchair will beat Blake and Roddick on this surface!
 
The-Champ said:
If Nadal can beat Blake and Roddick on hardcourts, imagine the trashing he could give them on clay. Rafa in a wheelchair will beat Blake and Roddick on this surface!
Click to expand...

lol I dont know about that. Trust me I realize this will be tough for the US to beat Spain on its home turf but it can be done. Spain hasnt even announced its Davis Cup team yet so who knows, Nadal might not even be on the team. The Bryan Brothers is a lock, no Spanish doubles team is going to overcome them. Also I think Blake and Roddick can take anyone out except possibly Nadal.
 
quest01 said:
lol I dont know about that. Trust me I realize this will be tough for the US to beat Spain on its home turf but it can be done. Spain hasnt even announced its Davis Cup team yet so who knows, Nadal might not even be on the team. The Bryan Brothers is a lock, no Spanish doubles team is going to overcome them. Also I think Blake and Roddick can take anyone out except possibly Nadal.
Click to expand...

Barring something unforeseen, this ain't gonna happen (IMHO). Patriotic tennis such as Davis Cup and the Olympics are what Nadal lives for.
 
quest01 said:
I'm going with the US on this one. Doubles is almost an automatic point for the US because the Bryan Brothers are almost invincible especially in Davis Cup. Roddick's success in Davis Cup will continue where he defeated Robredo in Rome so really anything can happen. Blake has had success against Nadal on hard courts in the past, so I could see him taking out Nadal on clay. It's going to be tough for the US to pull off a victory against Spain on home soil but they will find a way to prevail.

Listen I'm an American so obviously I'm rooting for Team USA, any American rooting for Spain would be considered unpatriotic.
Click to expand...
I don't think that most Americans are rooting for Spain. The poll is who will win, not who do you want to win. Most people here believe that on clay, Spain is one of the, if not THE most dominating country in the world with Nadal, Robredo, Moya, Almagro, Verdasco, Ferrer and Lopez (the last 2 not as strong on clay) and Ferrero (when healthy). I think the US has a good shot at the doubles, and maybe 1 singles match depending on who Spain's number 2 is. I can see Roddick potentially beating any of them other than Nadal, although not likely. I don't believe that Blake would have that great of a chance. I say probably Spain 4-1, with the small chance of USA 3-2 depending on Spain's #2 or injuries.
 
I'd give USA a 25% chance if they played Querrey instead of Blake, 5% if they play Blake and Roddick. Is Fish better on clay than Blake or Roddick? Didn't he win Houston a couple years ago?
 
tennis08tarheels said:
I'd give USA a 25% chance if they played Querrey instead of Blake, 5% if they play Blake and Roddick. Is Fish better on clay than Blake or Roddick? Didn't he win Houston a couple years ago?
Click to expand...

Good suggestions. Hope PMac thinks so too.
Roddick has brought up his level since he lost to Delpo at Countrywide, but Querrey was looking especially good against Nadal, tho Q might not have enough experience?
 
Is anybody else the least bit queasy about the fact that this will take place in a bullfighting ring?

I mean, it's a beautiful structure in many ways, but could they not have had the tennis at a tennis venue instead of one where they kill bulls?
 
woodrow1029 said:
I don't think that most Americans are rooting for Spain. The poll is who will win, not who do you want to win. Most people here believe that on clay, Spain is one of the, if not THE most dominating country in the world with Nadal, Robredo, Moya, Almagro, Verdasco, Ferrer and Lopez (the last 2 not as strong on clay) and Ferrero (when healthy). I think the US has a good shot at the doubles, and maybe 1 singles match depending on who Spain's number 2 is. I can see Roddick potentially beating any of them other than Nadal, although not likely. I don't believe that Blake would have that great of a chance. I say probably Spain 4-1, with the small chance of USA 3-2 depending on Spain's #2 or injuries.
Click to expand...

Carlos has already said he won't play this year. He's been struggling with injuries and he said he wanted his last memory to have been of their last victory.
Feli and Nando have been playing together in doubles all year. They played here at the U.S. Open and only recently went out.
I think right now David (Ferrer) is ranked higher in Spain than JC (Ferrero).
So there's a chance for U.S. 3-2 (Rafa's been talking about DC since before this Open. I don't think he's missing this).
 
Love Game said:
Is anybody else the least bit queasy about the fact that this will take place in a bullfighting ring?

I mean, it's a beautiful structure in many ways, but could they not have had the tennis at a tennis venue instead of one where they kill bulls?
Click to expand...

That's what I meant about the symbolism, LG. Bullfighting is the Spanish national sport like baseball is the USA's.

Taking "home court advantage" to a whole different level, you know? I can't imagine it was an accident.
 
I think that in Davis Cup there should be a home and away tie, at least in the world group. Both can choose their own surface. On hards this would be a nice contest.
 
tennis08tarheels said:
I'd give USA a 25% chance if they played Querrey instead of Blake, 5% if they play Blake and Roddick. Is Fish better on clay than Blake or Roddick? Didn't he win Houston a couple years ago?
Click to expand...

Since when is Houston a good indicator of clay perfomance?For heaven's shake even Karlovic won it!!!
 
ruerooo said:
Bullfighting is the Spanish national sport like baseball is the USA's.
Click to expand...

Err, no.

Football (the real one where most players use predominantly their feet) is the only Spanish national sport that can compare to USA's baseball, NFL or basketball in attendance and market size.

Bullfighting is... just a weird thingy which, for good or for bad, is slowly walking to its extinction since it doesn't appeal to the majority of the young people anymore. I wouldn't call it a sport, since the more celebrated bullfighters are those that run the least around the ring. :twisted:

Las Ventas is a practical choice because it is the best place to host an open court for a 20,000 crowd in Madrid, almost everything is already in place. It is often used for concerts and other similarly crowded events, not only for bullfights.

But yeah, I see how you could place some symbolism on it.
 
cucio said:
Err, no.

Football (the real one where most players use predominantly their feet) is the only Spanish national sport that can compare to USA's baseball, NFL or basketball in attendance and market size.

Bullfighting is... just a weird thingy which, for good or for bad, is slowly walking to its extinction since it doesn't appeal to the majority of the young people anymore. I wouldn't call it a sport, since the more celebrated bullfighters are those that run the least around the ring. :twisted:

Las Ventas is a practical choice because it is the best place to host an open court for a 20,000 crowd in Madrid, almost everything is already in place. It is often used for concerts and other similarly crowded events, not only for bullfights.

But yeah, I see how you could place some symbolism on it.
Click to expand...

Well, the analogy was meant to emphasize history, not market share.
But I don't feel like arguing about it, so I'll just say "Of course you're right."
 
cucio said:
Err, no.

Football (the real one where most players use predominantly their feet) is the only Spanish national sport that can compare to USA's baseball, NFL or basketball in attendance and market size.

Bullfighting is... just a weird thingy which, for good or for bad, is slowly walking to its extinction since it doesn't appeal to the majority of the young people anymore. I wouldn't call it a sport, since the more celebrated bullfighters are those that run the least around the ring. :twisted:

Las Ventas is a practical choice because it is the best place to host an open court for a 20,000 crowd in Madrid, almost everything is already in place. It is often used for concerts and other similarly crowded events, not only for bullfights.

But yeah, I see how you could place some symbolism on it.
Click to expand...


New modern bull farms are created.Spanish bulls are being exported now not only to whole Spain but to south France and to south America.Bull-fighting is too important for Spain touristically to cease into oblivion.More-over I have spoken to spanish officials,vets and students and everyone is very proud and even entertained by this brutal "sport".
 
malakas said:
New modern bull farms are created.Spanish bulls are being exported now not only to whole Spain but to south France and to south America.Bull-fighting is too important for Spain touristically to cease into oblivion.More-over I have spoken to spanish officials,vets and students and everyone is very proud and even entertained by this brutal "sport".
Click to expand...

However, as a citizen of Madrid I can tell you that media exposure has decreased dramatically in the last 20 years: TV air time, bullfighters as public personalities... Many rings have financial problems, in Barcelona there is talk of closing the ring altogether (although there are nationalistic reasons in the mix.) The regular crowd is getting older and older.

Decades ago it was one of the very few forms of popular entertainment available to the middle-low classes, but nowadays young people have many more choices and bullfighting has a very unattractive old-regime uncultivated ring to it.

But yeah, guys, visit Spain and bring your euros with you. It can't be denied it is a rare and unique show if you can stomach or even enjoy the cult to mindless "bravery" (whether is more or less brutal than many other human practices it is debatable if you bother to think about it carefully.)
 
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I am hearing now that Nadal is so Exsausted that he may not play in the davis cup semi. Here is the chance for USA to get to another final.
 
There was a controversy regarding the host city being MAdrid. the Spanish players were up in arms because they felt that it gave the hard serving Americans an edge because of altitude.
 
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