THE TennisReporters.net NEWSLETTER: THURSDAY, DECemBER 2, No. 107

Spain subs Nadal for Ferrero in Davis Cup final
US team faces biggest moments of their career; Bryans: 'We're going to give them hell'

By Matthew Cronin, TennisReporters.net

Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA

Teenager Rafael Nadal seems to be headed to a man's job: three Davis Cup matches in three days.

FROM THE DAVIS CUP FINAL IN SEVILLE – The world won't know until late Friday whether Spanish captain Jordi Arrese made a bad move by subbing in teenager Rafael Nadal for Juan Carlos Ferrero on the eve of the Davis Cup final. But the US team knows one thing for sure: Top player Andy Roddick cannot win this tie alone.

Either the US team's No. 2 player Mardy Fish or the doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan are going too have to come huge this weekend. Roddick has not taken that well to the slow clay yet, but he's an accomplished enough big-match player to win at least one singles match, whether against Nadal on Friday or against top Spaniard Carlos Moya on Sunday.

The same cannot be said for Fish, who has floundered at the Grand Slams, and the same can't even be said for the Bryans, who have won a Grand Slam title and recently took the Masters Cup, but played those matches in the shadows of the singles competitors. Davis Cup is the one competition left where doubles really matters. On Saturday, when the Bryans face Nadal and Tommy Robredo in front of 27,200 victory-hungry fans, they'll truly know the meaning of a heavily-watched pro match. They admit that's the case.

"When we came on tour, we wanted to win Davis Cup," said the righty twin, Mike. "This is probably the biggest competition. It would really make us happy to win this one. This is huge. We could put our rackets down and be happy if we won this. This is probably the biggest moments of our lives. And were going to give it hell."

IN THE FISH BOWL
That's the attitude that Fish needs, too. He's the guy who everyone has pointed to as the easy foil – the slumping, erratic fast court player who nearly came out of his shell in the Olympic final, but then was crushed like a lost snail by Nicolas Massu. He'll play Spanish team leader Moya in the tie's opening match and the home team is more than counting on King Carlos to dispatch him with a quick, cold stare.

"Fish is quite an irregular player," Moya said. "He's a very good player on a faster court, but tomorrow he has absolutely nothing to lose. He has a very good serve. Of course, he is quite aware that there is a lot at stake, so it will be a tough match. I will try and make sure that he will work very hard for every single point he scores. To me, it will mean a lot. It's been my main goal for a long time."

US Captain Patrick McEnroe has placed a lot of stock in Fish. He brought American veteran Vince Spadea along as a practice player and could have named him to the tram, especially after watching Spadea rough up Fish and Roddick up in practice. But he believes that Fish has more weapons and that Spadea's counter-punching style will only keep him in a long match, not win it for him.

"At the end of the day, I still felt that Mardy gave us the best chance to win, with his game and his style of play that can potentially match up with the Spaniards," McEnroe said.

Spadea wasn't thrilled being left out, but he seemed to know it all along.

"Why are we discussing something everyone already knows," he asked. "I was optimistic and knew there was some positives and other possibilities that could occur. I'm here as an American supporting the US. But this happens to be the tennis world. I got through passport control and I'm here to win a Davis Cup. … I wasn't expecting to win a practice match and all of a sudden win a spot technically. … I'm not the reason they are in the Davis Cup final. I thought [the decision] was a feel type of thing. Patrick made his decision and I have to live with it. I'm hopeful that we'll win. I think it can happen."

Spadea has played a number of marathon matches at Roland Garros and understands that if Roddick and Fish don't commit to exhausting themselves to win points, they won't get it done. "This is a different animal," Spadea said. "They have to be prepared to play for at least two-and-a--half hours or it's not going to happen."

Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA

Mardy Fish played only one match on clay this year … and lost.

Fish owns a 2-1 record against Moya, but the two have never faced each other on clay. Due to injury, Fish only played one match on clay this year, a loss. Moreover, since his sterling run to the Olympic final, he has gone a mediocre 6-5, failing to get out of the second round of any tournament. He's talented, but whether he has the wherewithal to beat a former Roland Garros champion like Moya who owns an 18-7 Davis record is in serious question.

"One of the toughest things about playing on clay is that you have to be a little more patient than on the faster courts we're used to," Fish said. "We're well aware that we're probably going to have to stay out there a long time. Mentally and physically, it's pretty grueling. We came into this tie knowing the task and what we have to accomplish."

If Fish pulls off that huge upset, the US will be in a terrific position. Nadal is a super-talent, but has never played a match of this magnitude. Few 18-year-olds are capable of rising to the occasion in Davis Cup final against a former Slam champ, even if Roddick has yet to find his feet of clay. Moreover, Arrese doesn't even know if Nadal has the staying power necessary to win three matches, although it appears that the disappointed Ferrero's blistered hand might be fully healed come Sunday.

THREE-MATCH CHALLENGE
"It's going top be difficult for Nadal to play a tough singles match on Friday and then come out and play a great doubles match," McEnroe said. "He's certainly young and fit, but that's asking a lot. He's going to have to play a very physical match with Andy, who's been playing great and is extremely fit and focused."

McEnroe and his boys say they are well prepared. The Spaniards say much the same. But the US can't count on the crowd or great serving days on a slick surface to pull themselves through. Even though he looked like a shadow of himself in losing the Tennis Masters Cup semis to Lleyton Hewitt two weeks ago, Roddick has been fantastic in Davis Cup, sporting a 14-3 record. This weekend, he is the team's Pete Sampras. Now all McEnroe needs is an Andre Agassi like performance out of Fish or the Bryans and his squad should be home free.

"We're a slight underdogs, playing away against a very tough Spanish team," said McEnroe. "They are playing on their best surface. It's no secret that it's not our best surface. But we're going into each match thinking we can win it. Coming to Spain to play the final is a great challenge. It would make it sweeter to win here in one of the toughest places to play."