Davis Cup

When most people think of professional tennis, they think of the Grand Slam events – the Aussie Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. They aren’t high-profile for nothing.

Something that gets a little less notice is the Davis Cup (although all the big names play in it – I think it’s just the format and nature of the event that makes its less notable). The Swiss are out despite the efforts of top-ranked Roger Federer and the Americans have worked their way into the final against the defending Russian champions.

Christopher Clarey writes an excellent bit about Andy Roddick closing in on his Davis Cup dream. The Americans haven’t won the cup since 1995 and this year, the chance to win is within reach and delightfully close to home. Roddick has been playing the Davis Cup event since he joined the team in 2001 and has dogged his way through the years in search of a title.

Dreams are dreams and everybody’s got them, including a top-ranked tennis player. But what are dreams without a little hardware to back them up?