DAVIS CUP PHOTOS: FEDERER, MURRAY, TSONGA, MEN IN TRACK SUITS

by freakyfrites on September 17, 2009 · 4 Comments · in Davis Cup, Featured, Federer, Murray, Tsonga

Photo: EFE

Another round of Davis Cup, another round of men in matching tracksuits! Here is my down and dirty preview and some photos of our favorite players.

THE SEMIFINALS:

The Defending Champs play Israel in Murcia, Spain where David Ferrer and Juan Carlos Ferrero will play the singles vs. Harel Levy and Dudi Sela and Erlich/Ram will be the favorites in the doubles match vs. Robredo/Lopez.

Both Rafael Nadal (abs) and Fernando Verdasco (foot surgery!) are sitting out this time around, giving a little hope to the underdog Israelis. (Insert David and Goliath reference here.)

Croatia vs. Czech Republic in Porec, Croatia. With Stepanek and Berdych facing Cilic and Karlovic in the singles, this semi final tie is intriguingly even. But the Croatians are looking for more than just the home crowd advantage with their counter-intuitive selection of a muddy indoor clay court. Hey, it worked against the USA.

WORLD GROUP PLAY OFFS:

With Roger Federer scheduled to play three matches for team Suisse in Genova, Italy, this is the flashiest of the World Group playoffs. Federer will play the 2nd rubber vs. Bolelli, doubles with Wawrinka and Sunday’s 4th rubber vs. Seppi. He says he hopes he can find a way to win:

“Of course, I feel tired and it’s not easy because it’s also a new surface and different balls but I hope I still believe I have a little bit left in the tank. I hope I can win my match on Friday against Bolelli and contribute a point.” (via Daviscup.com)

Roger also met with Italian footballer Alessandro del Piero:

Photographer: Angelo Tonelli

Other World Group ties include:

Chile (minus Gonzalez) vs. Austria at Chile
France (Allez Tsonga et Llodra!) vs. Netherlands at Netherlands
Belgium vs. Ukraine at Belgium
Brazil vs. Ecuador at Brazil
South Africa vs. India at South Africa
Serbia (minus Djokovic) vs. Uzbekistan at Serbia
Sweden vs. Romania at Sweden

In ZONAL TIE news, Andy Murray will be playing for Great Britain when they take on Poland this weekend in Liverpool. He’ll be playing all three days, pairing up with Ross Hutchins in doubles.