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He’s Back: Federer Ready to Defend Swiss Dirt against Americans
By Chris Oddo Photo Credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
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Earlier this week, 16-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer took a trip down memory lane, recalling for reporters one of his early Davis Cup ties, when as a 19-year-old he led the Swiss past the Americans in his hometown of Basel by winning all three of his matches. "I think it was my first emotional outburst on a tennis court because I was so exhausted on Sunday after winning singles, doubles and singles," Federer said of the occasion.
11 years on, the Swiss Maestro still finds himself without a Davis Cup to add to his crowded trophy cache. Bitter losses to Australia in the semis in 2003 (Federer lost a pivotal five-setter to Lleyton Hewitt) and France in the quarterfinals in 2004 may have been Federer’s best opportunity to capture the coveted Cup before his priorities shifted to first growing, then cementing his Grand Slam legacy.
Since 2004, due in part to Federer’s reluctance to fully commit to the event, the Swiss have not contested another World Group quarterfinal, and Federer has made more headlines by missing Davis Cup ties than participating in them. In 2009 the Swiss were without Federer when they traveled to Alabama to face the Americans in a first-round World Group tie, and in 2010, more notably, the world missed a chance to see the first Federer-Nadal match in Davis Cup, when neither superstar participated.
Not surprisingly, the Swiss lost both ties. But it’s all water under the bridge now.
New season, new life. Same Cup, different story.
This weekend, in a surprising twist, Federer will be the only top 5 player to see Davis Cup action, as Djokovic, Nadal, Murray, and Ferrer have all opted to skip the weekend’s festivities, citing fatigue or injury.
It’s great news for the Swiss, but not so great for an American team that will be without Davis Cup stalwarts Andy Roddick and Bob Bryan when play begins in Fribourg, Switzerland on Friday. "Any time you are playing against a team that has Roger as part of the squad, it is going to be tough, and we are not playing at home,” said John Isner, who possesses a 0-2-lifetime record against Federer.
As for Federer, who holds a 30-6 singles record for his Davis Cup career, he’s hoping that a bit of Davis Cup intensity can be a springboard for another fine season in 2012. "It definitely got me on winning ways,” Federer said of the Swiss victory over the U.S. in 2001. “I beat Sampras at Wimbledon (in 2001). It was a start of great things for me, and I’m happy playing America again."
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