Eight teams remain in contention to win the Davis Cup for their countries. They will battle each other in various (mostly European) cities this weekend – July 10 – 12.
Only a sport as crazy as tennis would schedule the quarterfinals of its premier team event the weekend after its premier tournament. Roddick, Ferrer, Nadal and Tursunov have pulled out with injury, and Marat Safin claims a lot of the remaining players are hurting (or else he’s playing possum). But it’s cute men in matching tracksuits, so at least they’re looking good!
Here are the basics, including the necessary (Marat Safin) photos and quotes.
CZECH REPUBLIC v ARGENTINA
Venue: Cez Arena, Ostrava (hard – indoors)
“We’re here to avenge the beating.” – Tomas Berdych via CBS, on losing 0-5 to the Argentines when they last met in D.C.
Team Czech Republic: Tomas Berdych, Radek Stepanek, Ivo Minar, Lukas Dlouhy/Captain: Jaroslav Navratil
Team Argentina: Juan Martin Del Potro, Jose Acasuso, Leonardo Mayer, Juan Monaco/Captain: Tito Vazquez
CROATIA v USA
Venue: Sportska Dvorana “Zatika”, Porec (clay – indoors)
“Andy has been a stalwart for this team the past nine years, and his dedication to Davis Cup and his teammates is unquestioned.” – Captain Patrick McEnroe via CBS.
“It’s worse for us (than if Andy played.) Instead of an injured Roddick, who after such a final at Wimbledon would have had to play matches on clay, we’ll have to face a motivated Fish.” – Captain Goran Prpic via CBS.
Team Croatia: Marin Cilic, Ivo Karlovic, Roko Karanusic, Lovro Zovko/Captain: Goran Prpic
Team USA: Mardy Fish (replaced Andy Roddick), James Blake, Mike Bryan, Bob Bryan/Captain: Patrick McEnroe
(That’s Patrick McEnroe pretending to return Dr. Ivo’s serve.)
ISRAEL v RUSSIA
Venue: Sport Palaces Ltd (Nokia), Tel Aviv (hard – indoors)
“Not one of us is in shape, save for Igor (Andreev) – there’s nothing to hide about it. . .I hope we’ll be okay.” – Marat Safin via Haaretz
Team Israel: Dudi Sela, Haral Levy, Jonathan Erlich, Andy Ram/Captain: Eyal Ran
Team Russia: Igor Kunitsyn (replaced Dmitry Tursunov), Marat Safin, Igor Andreev, Mikhail Youzhny/Captain: Shamil Tarpischev
(Don’t worry, there’s plenty more Marat in the photo gallery, below! This may be his last time in a tracksuit, before he gets a Shamil-style belly and becomes DC captain in 2029. Sob!)
SPAIN v GERMANY
Venue: Plaza de Toros de Puerto Banus, Marbella (clay – outdoors)
“Nadal is not well and we have to let him rest.” Albert Costa via CBC
Team Spain: Fernando Verdasco, Tommy Robredo, Juan Carlos Ferrero (replaced David Ferrer), Feliciano Lopez/Captain: Albert Costa
Team Germany: Philipp Kohlschreiber, Nicolas Kiefer, Mischa Zverev, Andreas Beck/Captain: Patrick Kuhnen
(What does Philipp know that we don’t?)
Click here for the Davis Cup website.
All gallery photos via Daylife.
Team USA Tracksuits photo by REUTERS/Nikola Solic (CROATIA SPORT TENNIS)
Patrick McEnroe gets goosed. REUTERS/Nikola Solic (CROATIA SPORT TENNIS)
Team Russian Tracksuits photo by AP Photo/Ariel Schalit
Marat Safin stands alone in hotness photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images
Team Spain photo by REUTERS/Jon Nazca (SPAIN SPORT TENNIS)
Philipp Kohlschreiber remembers Roland Garros. REUTERS/Jon Nazca (SPAIN SPORT TENNIS)
Tags: ATP, Berdych, Davis Cup, Roddick, Safin, tennis, Verdasco
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Hey, checking out for a while. Just too exhausted. Great work with the videos on the earlier post, thanks
“Not one of us in shape…I hope we’ll be okay”.. LOL!!! Why don’t they get Davydenko to play for them? He’s a machine! Oh,
Marat, don’t ever leave us.
Hear that, Marat? Don’t ever leave us!!!! sobsobsobbing
salam i am lolo from morocco and i love marat too he is amazing and tennis without him for me is nothing so please marat don't ever leave us i love u
nice to see jcf back on the team! im so happy at the way hes been able to come back and play this year…and how he has really shot up the rankings…
Everyone was wondering why an old guy like him was even bothering to make the effort – guess he knew something we didn’t.
Also, the Spanish team is lucky to have such a quality player to fill in for Ferrer.
well, the ‘old guys’ really proved themselves this wimbledon!
spain has really got too many players they can choose from…
Spanish team, anchored by Feli & Nando, looking fine as ever.
Marat… swoon-worthy, as ever.
Pat M… kinda scarey looking.
Yeah, seriously, there were so many strange photos of Pat McEnroe! Not sure what the heck was going on during that press conference. . maybe he was tipsy.
Delpo looks like he hasn’t recuperated yet from the loss on Roland Garros, I feel a little bit bad for him, not as much as when Roger loses, but similar. .. PATIENCE DELPO, you need to remember that is the measure of a champion, someone who can come from 2 sets- love and beat the opponent.
Marat as always looking great, maybe he will be remembered as the handsomest tennis player ever.
OK, once again Spain wins cutest Davis Cup team, but Marat wins the all-around medal. James Blake looks pretty good, too.
I love how we can mix in the serious tennis talk with all of our gushing over how cute the players are!
I think the ATP could address some of their concerns about the popularity of tennis (as a spectator sport in the US) by marketing more to women. Marat could be the new “face of men’s tennis,” and go on Rachael Ray and Oprah. I bet the ratings would skyrocket!
Liz, great minds think alike. If Safin was on Oprah, tennis would be the most popular sport in America.
I strongly believe that tennis attracts as many female fans as male fans. It’s funny that the ATP “powers that be” haven’t realized this yet and “sexed it up” for the rest of us. Sharapova has nothing on Marat.
Heehee speak for yourself FF. I for one CANNOT mix gushing over eyecandies with serious tennistalk.
Marat! *swoon*
Nando! *sticks hand in his hair*
Blake! (have a random thing for him) *rubs his bald head*
Monaco!! *flops over and starts frothing at the mouth*
OMG! So glad someone agrees with me on Monaco! Humanahumana!
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