Davis Cup is criminally underappreciated in the sports world.
Not only is it as exhilarating and intriguing as almost any other international competition, but generally speaking, we consistently get fantastic tennis from this event.
If the last round of play in early February is any indication, this year is going to be no exception. All we had last time were upsets, returns to prominence for historical tennis powers and the longest match in the storied history of Davis Cup.
It would be asking a lot of this round of play to stack up against that, but I'm anxiously awaiting what we will see over the weekend.
Okay, enough dawdling, on to the tie previews.
Canada vs. Italy (Vancouver, Indoor Hard Court)
The fact that I might be most excited to see this tie confirms the fact that I'm a huge tennis nerd. There aren't any real big names in this tie like there are in the others (although I will admit that Milos Raonic is getting close to that level) and neither of these teams strike you as teams that are going to ultimately come away with the Davis Cup in the end.
With all that being said, though, this tie is so completely unpredictable.
Canada obviously has a huge advantage thanks to Milos Raonic being by far the best singles player in this tie. If he plays like he's capable of in his matches, Canada will only need to eke out one more match win to clinch the team win.
On the other hand, Italy's top two players, Fabio Fognini and Andreas Seppi, are the type of grinders that might be able to frustrate Raonic. Fognini has the raw talent to play with anyone on tour and Seppi gives a good, honest effort every time he takes the court.
You also can't overlook the fact that Italy has the players to challenge Canada for the doubles point. Against most nations, Canada would all but have the doubles point wrapped up before the match even starts thanks to the presence of Daniel Nestor. But that's not the case against Italy. Fognini is an accomplished doubles player and Simon Bolelli gives him a solid partner.
Most intriguing of all for me is that this tie represents a fantastic opportunity for both nations. For Canada, it gives them a chance to show that they are now real players in the world of international tennis. For Italy, it gives them the chance get back to a place that had been very familiar at one point, the top of the tennis world.
This one is too close to call, but I guess I have to pick a winner. When in doubt, I like to go with the nation that has the best one player. For that reason, I'm picking Canada, but I think it's going to be close.
USA vs. Serbia (Boise, Indoor Hard Court)
I suppose if I were to be as excited for any one tie other than Canada/Italy it would be this one. I mean, I'm nothing if not a patriot, particularly when sports are involved.
I have to admit that I kind of like this new-look USA Davis Cup lineup. With Isner and Querrey leading the way, you have a better than average 1-2 punch in your singles lineup and the Bryans don't show any real signs of slipping from their perch at the top of doubles tennis.
I just wish that was going to matter more this weekend.
I don't have to tell you who leads the Serbian team. That would be none other than Novak Djokovic, arguably the best player on tour. Behind him, they have Viktor Troicki, a player that is easily overlooked but shouldn't be taken lightly. The Serbians also feature Nenad Zimonjic, a championship-level doubles player that will, at the very least, make the Bryans work to get the doubles point.
The Americans have the depth to go toe-to-toe with Serbia, but when you are dealing with a player as good as Djokovic, I'm not sure depth matters as much. If he plays anywhere close to his best, he will be able to take care of Isner and Querrey in his matches and I'm betting that Troicki will upset one of those two, as that is just what Troicki does.
While we're here, let me mention how disappointed I am that the USTA decided to hold this tie in Boise, Idaho. I'm sure Boise is a nice enough city, but is it a tennis hotbed? Do they have a history of hosting major international competitions like this? Can we guarantee that the crowds won't end up being paltry because a heavy snowstorm moves in over the weekend? I don't have any definitive answers for those questions, but I'm guessing the answer is no in each case.
In conclusion, I hate to say it, but I think the Serbians are the safe bet here.
Argentina vs. France (Buenos Aires, Outdoor Clay)
Only one thing is for sure in this tie and that's that there are going to be literally hundreds of long, drawn out, stylish points played on the clay in Buenos Aires. That's just what these two teams do.
Beyond that, I don't see anything but domination on France's part in this tie.
The French are bringing their "A" team to Argentina. It doesn't get much better than Tsonga, Gasquet, Benneteau and Llodra.You know your team is good when Benneateau might not be able to get into a match unless he plays doubles.
Argentina has as close to an "A" team as they can get at this point.They are missing Juan Martin del Potro, but that's not all that surprising considered his estrangement from the Argentine Davis Cup team.
It's just that I don't think Argentina matches up well against France. In the first round, Argentina came up against a German team that was undermanned and was ill-fit for the surface they were playing on.
That won't be the case against France. The French team has better talent from top to bottom and they play well on clay. Their country's major tournament is played on that surface after all.
It's also worth noting that France is 5-0 all time against Argentina in Davis Cup play. That has little bearing on what will happen this weekend, but I found it interesting.
Argentina might find a way to steal a point here, but look for France to emerge victorious.
Kazakhstan vs. Czech Republic (Astana, Indoor Clay)
Kazakhstan is what Davis Cup is all about. They don't have any big names on their team. For that matter, they don't even have anyone currently ranked in the top 150. And yet, they continue to find ways to win.
Pete Bodo of Tennis Magazine likes to say that the Kazakhs punch above their weight in Davis Cup and I couldn't agree more.
Quite frankly, the Czech Republic isn't much different. Sure, in Radek Stepanek they have an accomplished singles player and in Lukas Rosol they have a young up and comer, but just looking at this team, you wouldn't think they would be capable of winning the whole thing. And yet, they did in 2012.
All signs point toward the Czechs ending Kazakhstan's unlikely run, but keep in mind that Kazakhstan beat the Czech Republic just over two years ago in the World Group First Round.
With Argentina and France, I don't think the all-time numbers mean much. In the case of this tie, I think it does matter, though. In that tie two years ago, it was many of the same players involved. That win for Kazakhstan also served as their announcement that they were going to be players in Davis Cup.
I think the Czechs win this tie, but I have my doubts that Kazakhstan goes easily. Look for them to go down swinging.
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