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Berdych vs. Goliath

Czech star and fellow countrymen to pull out all the stops against the U.S. team in the Davis Cup

By František Bouc
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
February 7th, 2007 issue

ČTK
When U.S. sprinter Marion Jones’ limousine driver took her through the gritty industrial section of Ostrava, north Moravia, before the Golden Cleat track and field meet in 2002, she got scared.
“Where are we going? Where are we?” she asked her driver with apparent concern as they passed the city’s steel plants. Later, she locked herself in a hotel room, only leaving to compete in the event and eat at McDonald’s.
Now, nearly five years later, Czech tennis fans are hoping that the star-studded U.S. tennis team will face a similar distraction of culture shock when they go to Ostrava Feb. 9–11 to compete in the first round of the Davis Cup, the annual tournament in which the world’s top 16 countries play against each other.
Getting there

Tickets to the Davis Cup are sold out, but, if you've secured one, you will need to get to ČEZ Arena. Take trams 2, 7, 11, 14 or 19 to Sport Arena; tram 3 to Ředitelství Vítkovic; or tram 12 to Dolní. You can also take bus 26 or 27 to Ředitelství Vítkovic
The five-match Davis Cup contest will consist of two singles matches Feb. 9 (starting at 3 p.m.), a doubles match Feb. 10 (at 2:30 p.m.) and two singles matches Feb. 11 (starting at 2 p.m.)

“We chose Ostrava because people there will be more enthusiastic about the match than they would be in Prague, where people are used to many glamorous events,” captain Jaroslav Navrátil said. “The crowd’s support could be helpful.”
Indeed, tickets to ČEZ Arena, which usually accommodates hockey games, sold out two weeks before the tie.
Culture shock may be one of the few things the Czech team has going for it this time around. The relatively inexperienced squad will take on the United States on an indoor clay court.
The Czech team will rely heavily on Tomáš Berdych, the 12th-ranked player in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). The other singles player, Lukáš Dlouhý, was ranked 91st at the end of January, and he has never played a singles match in the Davis Cup before.
Meanwhile, U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe announced that he would bring over the strongest possible team, with Andy Roddick (fourth in the ATP), James Blake (sixth) and the world’s leading doubles team of the Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike.
“This is perhaps the strongest team that has ever shown up here,” Navrátil said. “So we have to take all possible measures to boost our chances.“
Watering the court
Navrátil admitted that he strategically chose the venue and surface due to his young and inexperienced team.
“This is the least favorite surface for the Americans, who all grew up on hard courts,” Navrátil said about the clay.
U.S. Davis Cup dreams have died on clay in four of the past six years.
“Winning a clay away tie has been a bit of our kryptonite in years past,” Blake said during the Australian Open in Melbourne in January.
In order to further slow down the already slow surface, Navrátil admitted the organizers will be ready to water the court to make it softer.
The moves may have already had an effect.
“I briefly talked with Patrick McEnroe during the Australian Open, and he told me that the Americans wanted to win the Cup once again after 10 years,” Navrátil said. “The only thing he inquired about was where Ostrava is and why we don’t stage the match in Prague.”
Ostrava — the birthplace of legendary tennis player Ivan Lendl — also has zero appeal for Blake.
“I’ve never been to the Czech Republic,” Blake said. “I’ve heard Prague is beautiful. Haven’t heard too much about Ostrava. We’ll see. I hear we’re playing in a hockey rink, 3,000 people.”
After being told that the arena’s capacity will be 7,000 seats, he perked up.
“Great, even better,” he said. “Hopefully they’ll fill it and we’ll have some fun.”
Getting over the hump
The U.S. team’s chances improved when 18th-ranked Radek Štěpánek withdrew from the Czech team after making excuses for not playing on the squad the two previous years. Štěpánek announced in December  that he would never again play in the Davis Cup, citing unspecified “controversies” with the Czech Tennis Association.
The third-highest-ranked Czech singles player, Jan Hájek (75th), was forced to take time out from tennis due to heart problems.
As a result, Navrátil said, Berdych will have to play two singles matches and a doubles match, most likely with Dlouhý.
“The singles players have better returns, and that is the only way to beat the Bryans,” Navrátil said.
Blake said that he likes the U.S. team’s chances. Still, he warned against exaggerated optimism.
“Anything can happen in the Davis Cup. There aren’t many heavy favorites ever in the Davis Cup, especially away,” he said. “The crowds can get to you. The surface can be tricky. Anything can happen.”
“We need to get over the hump of winning a big match on the road on clay,” McEnroe added. “Our first-round match against the Czech Republic will more than likely give us another chance to do just that.”

František Bouc can be reached at fbouc@praguepost.com


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