Mardy Fish: Victory at the Davis Cup Playoffs
The Davis Cup is the foremost international event for men’s tennis in teams. It is run and organized by the International Tennis Federation, or the ITF. The tournament involves knock out contests between teams of players from competing countries. The Davis
Cup was initiated in 1900 as a competition between the United States and Great Britain, but gradually expanded to include over 120 nations.
The United States of America experience enormous success at the Davis Cup. The US team has won the tournament a record 32 times, and have been runners-up 29 times. Their team has dropped out only once, in 1981, and the last title they won was after 12 years
in 2007. Their last victory before this had been in 1995, with the defeat of Russia in Moscow. The event has also not been held in the United States since 1992, when the US team defeated Switzerland at Texas.
However, the Americans’ luck may just be turning. On September 19th, 2010, at this year’s Davis Cup at Bogota, Colombia, American professional tennis player Mardy Fish managed to defeat Colombia’s Santiago Giraldo in five sets: 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 4-6, 8-6.
This victory provides the US with an undefeatable advantage, 3-1, in its Davis Cup World playoff opposing Colombia. A fifth match which would not have had any consequence on the outcome of these playoffs was cancelled on account of rain.
Mardy’s performance was exemplary, making him the first American since Pete Sampras and his 1995 final, to win three times in a tie. He upset the opposition in Friday’s singles, and also teamed up to win doubles with John Isner on Saturday.
Fish himself stated, when asked about his feelings regarding his victory, “To win three points in one Davis Cup match under these circumstance in such an important tie is one of the biggest - if not the biggest - accomplishment of my career.”
This performance on Mardy’s part is memorable for several reasons. The conditions which the US team were forced to deal with were discouraging at best; problems included an altitude of 8700 feet, a strong team on Colombia’s part and setbacks due to the absence
of some of the best American players, including Andy Roddick, James Blake and the World Number 1 doubles team of brothers Bob and Mike Bryan.
American captain Patrick McEnroe expressed pride at Mardy Fish’s performance, saying: ''What a Herculean effort from Mardy this weekend. Mardy’s was one of the greatest efforts in Davis cup history - forget my 10 years as captain. To win three points in
these conditions - with the altitude, the crowd and everything. He is in illustrious company.''
Another event that makes this Davis Cup match memorable is the retirement of Patrick McEnroe. Fish’s performance gave him a sweet exit, with the captain himself commenting: ''I couldn't have asked for a better way to end my captaincy.”
Mardy Fish has trained endlessly and strenuously for this victory, and attributes his victory to his new exercise regime. He said, “A lot of work and a lot of sacrifice went into this. A year ago today I wouldn't have been able to do this. I fought as hard
as I could.” He himself was far more reserved about his victory than his proud captain, commending the Colombian team and criticizing the tough playing conditions.
Fish also commented on the US team’s chances at the World Cup, saying they showed enough depth to compete, ending his statement on a positive note: “I think we have a lot of guys who can play well on a lot of surfaces - myself, John, Sam (Querrey), Andy,
James and the Bryans.”
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