The reports are widely available. It sounds like Spadea beat both Roddick and Fish in practice. Fish did not win a single set in practice. I never liked Spadea but this is a kick in the groin. First Pmac said Spadea would have to be ranked higher to be selected...so he does that....then he still doesn't select Vince..until Vince writes the letter...then he tells Vince that he is leaning towards Fish but that Vince could earn a spot....and now this....at least everyone knows it.
Spadea Offers Support, Not Spat
Photo By Susan Mullane By Andre Christopher
12/02/2004
Juan Carlos Ferrero, who has played on the Spanish Davis Cup team in 10 of it’s last 12 ties, found out he wouldn’t be playing in the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final against the United States the morning of the draw. American Vince Spadea found out he wouldn’t be making his second career Davis Cup appearance the night before, plenty of time to come up with all the right things to say about being in Seville merely to support the U.S. team.
Moments after the four players Captain Patrick McEnroe nominated for the U.S. team finished their Thursday afternoon press conference — Bryan twins Mike and Bob sitting just to McEnroe’s left, with Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick next to the Bryans, a point from which they could leave early for their practice session — a U.S. media contingent of about 10 reporters swarmed around Spadea like flies on bull droppings. Spadea sat toward the back of the room during the press conference. “When did you find out you wouldn’t be playing?” “Do you feel like you were given a fair chance to play your way onto the team?” “How did you do in your practice match against Roddick yesterday?” Spadea handled all the questions with aplomb, saying that McEnroe had a tough decision, that the team was ready to play and that he is happy to be in this Andalucian city in southern Spain to lend his support.
But then came the question of the moment: “If you were to play Mardy on a slow clay court, who do you think would win?”
The “team player” in Spadea clearly did not want to answer. He did not bristle or let go a heavy sigh, but his hesitation in saying anything was answer enough. Finally, Spadea relented. “Why are we discussing something that everyone already feels and knows?” he asked, his dark sunglasses shielding his eyes from reporters, with sun unable to penetrate the bowels of the Estadio Olimpico de Sevilla, where the press conference was held.
Empassioned lobbying had earned Spadea a spot on the U.S. squad, but at the end of almost a week’s practice, his arguments for why he should be chosen ahead of Fish (chiefly a better ranking, No. 19 versus No. 37) — even with solid practice sessions — could not sway McEnroe from his original thinking.
“(Vince) has been great this week,” McEnroe said. “He has played great. He has really pushed our guys in practice. But at the end of the day, I still felt that Mardy gave us the best chance to win this match, to win a match here with his game and his style of play and the way he potentially can match up with the Spanish players.”
Spadea, by the way, has never lost to Fish in their three career encounters, one at tour-level and two in challengers, all of them on hard courts.
Said Spadea, “No. 2 (on the U.S. team) was a toss-up. Patrick went with his gut feeling. We’ll see how the chips fall.”
That should not be taken as Spadea looking for the opportunity in a couple of days to say, “I told you so. Later, away from the U.S. media horde he would say, “I was out of tennis three years ago (with a ranking down to No. 212). I have a lot of positives to take out of this. It’s a great tribute to what I have accomplished that I am here. It was a tough decision for Patrick.”
Even in the one area that Spadea has a distinct advantage — knowledge of a Davis Cup crowd in Spain — he was not exploitive. His only time playing Davis Cup was in the 2000 semifinal tie against Spain in Santander. That was a much smaller crowd than the United States will face in Seville. A sold-out arena of 27,200 will give this tie the largest crowd ever to see a Davis Cup match, eclipsing the 25,758 who saw the United States defeat Australia in White City, Sydney 50 years ago. But, said Spadea, “These guys have a lot of Davis Cup experience. These guys can handle that.”
So Spadea will be among the roughly 300-strong U.S. contingent, telling his squadmates that they don’t have to go for big shots quite so often. (“Sometimes less is more on clay,” he says.) At least he will have his own seat. When the draw ceremony began on Thursday, Spadea had to share a seat with Andy Roddick until organizers brought out a chair for the Top 20 cheerleader.
“I’m not the reason we’re in the Davis Cup Final,” Spadea said, “and everybody knows that.”
