USA Eliminated From Davis Cup
July 13, 2009 by Jeanne Dupuis
Filed under Tennis
The American team was eliminated by Croatia at this year’s Davis Cup after Marin Cilic beat James Blake 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. Afterwards, Cilic said: “I think I played a perfect match against Blake. This is one of the most important victories in my career.” Even though it means the USA has been knocked out, it’s hard to be mad when you hear a young player say something like that.
image: TSN
The American team were playing without star, Andy Roddick, who suffered a hip-injury during his battle against Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final. Roddick withdrew from the Davis Cup soon after.
Of the loss, Blake said: “It shows how important Andy is for the team. Being on the No. 2 spot is less pressure than playing on the No. 1 spot.”
While I understand what he’s saying (and admire that he’s giving Roddick some much-deserved respect), I also think that Blake should have gone into the tournament with the attitude that he would have to rise to the occasion and perform well for his country under pressure. There’s nothing that can be done about it now but, hopefully, this will be a learning lesson for Blake.
Croatia will face the Czech Republic in the semifinals.
