There is great current tennis going on . . .

[sseemiller]

I'm a bit surprised by the threads. One complaining about Davis Cup, and the others talking about days gone by. Well, I guess I'm not surprised by the latter, but I am surprised by the former.

Lots of great stuff going on this weekend. At least from my point of view. I'm watching the action in Delray live, in between the rain delays. But I'm excited to see what happens between France and Switzerland. (Guess some of you don't realize Fed is playing :lol And of course, I'm interested in Spain vs. Netherlands, and even Belarus vs. Argentina. Those ties are 2-0, but do you know who is winning?

Anyway, the US is 1-1. I've done some reports so far, I'll give you the link, for those of you who want to be bored. I'm about to do a match report on the Roddick/Enqvist match, as I guess that wasn't on ESPN.

My reports include my discussion with an ESPN rep, a description of the rain delays and also my attempts to get a photo of Andy's friend Lauren. Not exactly the most exciting stuff, but it has had it's moments. Here's the link, but please only read it if you are genuinely interested. That's why I'm posting a link, and not copying it over. Don't want to further bore the uninterested. Just go to the thread that says Davis Cup, Day 1. :lol:

http://on.starblvd.net/cgi-bin/bbs?rafaelnadal

 

[sseemiller]

Just to let you know, the above link has several sections of reports (I post them in sections so I don't lose them given iffy internet connections).

But here's the one with the strictly Roddick vs. Enqvist match report:

http://on.starblvd.net/cgi-bin/bbsmsg?racquetsnrambling&tr=1340.3

 

[SonicSpeed]

I guess no one's interested in Davis Cup at all....

 

[barry]

I think Davis cup has had its day. Many of the players live in America or not in the country they represent for tax reasons, so it is no longer a big deal. Tennis is now Global, and the Davis cup format pitting one country against another is irrelevant.
Many tennis enthusiasts just want to see quality tennis no matter who is playing, or what country they were born. I would prefer to watch an Agassi / Fedder match than what is currently being shown.

Other than Pat MacEnroe, no one seems very excited about Davis cup anymore and maybe it is time to implement an every other year format.

 

[david aames]

The point I was trying to raise in the other thread is also that it's breaking somehow with the traditions of tennis. Horns and drums just don't seem to belong in tennis arenas. Don't take me wrong, I wouldn't mind people cheering during points (I understand Gilbert is all for it btw), it just that it SOUNDS like the face painting loonies craving for the attention are taking over.

Also, the format is just wrong from a competitive standpoint. How can you go seriously through a draw when it's not all played at the same location and on the same surface. Not to mention that the host gets to choose the surface and location.

 

[Dranguyengon]

Think the Davis should become part of the Olympics.

 

[Ronaldo]

Maybe the US should withdraw and see if if the rest of the world supports the current format. This is OUR problem.

 

[Free_Martha]

Thanks for the links, susan.

 

[spinbalz]

I don't know much about the popularity of the Davis cup in the USA, but I guess that it's not extremely popular.

OK, but I can tell that everywhere else in the world it's something very important for the tennis fans and pro players, just take a look at any Davis cup match played in South America, everywhere in the world, most of the top players are proud to play for their countries and do their to win, or take a look at how much tickets were asked by the tennis fans in switzerland for the current match against France (more than tickets 80000 were asked for only 6500 places in the stadium, and I'm not even sure that the Swiss Tennis federation counts as much as 80000 players in its ranks) - For the Final match between France and Russia in 2002 some tickets were traded on the black market for around $1000 a seat, is that enough?

So for the ones like Barry, David Aames and some others, please realize that USA IS NOT THE CENTER OF THE WORLD, and just because Davis cup is not a major event in the USA (and USA only) does not mean that it is illegitimate or that it must be banned, or that its format must be changed, because everywhere else in the world it's a very big succes.

No success for the Davis Cup in the USA? Allright, but the rest of the world can easily deal with it, and keep enjoying the Davis cup like it is, even without the participation of the USA (though if USA participate, it is better).

 

[James Brown]

i love davis cup. it's exciting, an actual tennis event where fans pay attention (havent seen that for a while...) and are into it. I don't get any tennis channels, so i can never watch it. Our canadian davis cup team isnt too strong :>

 

[sseemiller]

I agree with the last two posts. Given the amount of Swedish media here, and the number of Swedish fans -- and the sold out arena -- I don't think Davis Cup is on it's last legs. Some changes should be made, but it's such an exciting event.

A Davis Cup final is just about as good as it gets in tennis; I've been to three finals now, and I'm planning on more. If you go to one, you, too, will be convinced.

The guys love the team format. After Fish lost the first match yesterday, he saw Andy, who said, "You covered my back in the last tie, I'll cover yours here." And he did.

And then, when they announced the teams today, each player came out by himself (except for the Bryans, who came out together), but when Andy came out last, he went and did that American high-five modified thing they do (where they meet fist to fist) with the Captain and all the other players except Mardy -- they hugged. It was sweet. This means a lot to them.

And I think, in turn, it means a lot to the fans.

If you haven't been to a Davis Cup match, you should go, and then post your thoughts. It's the best tennis gets in many ways. And it's the one time you get to see doubles players on TV. The Bryans were loving their attention today, and you can't blame them.

Susan

 

[racquetbreaker]

Susan what exactly is it that you do for Bob Larsson? All I ever see are your "reports" never seen any articles on any of the tournaments you "cover" posted on his website or anything written by anyone with your name. :?:

What, does he pay you to go to tourneys and post gossip reports on your own webpage and chase Nadal and Andy's friends around??? Sounds kind of fishy to me. :?

maybe I'll email him and ask him about it... you don't seem very legit to me and you talk a lot of ****.

 

[sseemiller]

Please feel free to contact Bob, but my arrangement with him has nothing to do with you. As I'm sure he will tell you.

His publications are subscription publications, so if you want to see my name on stuff, you will have to pay money to subscribe.