Watching the lesser Zonals

Ron Cioffi/TR.netArnaud Clement was among the no-shows after the
first-round Davis Cup week.

Here are some causalities post the DC first round: Dudi Sela (I'm guessing out of Delray Beach due to emotional angst), Hyung-Taik Lee and Arnaud Clement (out definitely for Marseille), and Agustin Calleri (gone from the Brazil Open).

The high-flying Bondarenko sisters seem tired after their Fed Cup campaign (or maybe it was for over-blogging for the WTA). On Wednesday Alona lost to Juile Ditty. The Serbs - Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic - are nowhere to be found this week after their tussles in Hungary and Ashley Harkleroad imploded in the final of the Midland Challenger.

But new Fed Cup warrior, Anna Chakvetadze, broke the trend, winning Paris last week and entering Antwerp, a tournament with a rich history that does not have its desired field this year, with only the sixth-ranked Russian and Justine Henin major headliners. I'm a little surprised that Jankovic or Ivanovic didn't show, but knowing that they have to do the Middle East-Indian Wells-Miami grind, I'm not too stunned.

Back to the Davis Cup. Major props to James Blake for scoring the biggest clay court win of his career over Stefan Koubek. A salute, too, to Thomas Johansson for stopping Sela in a critical match in Israel, but how about that Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, trashing talking the US team in advance of the quarterfinal with as much outward guts as Muhammad Ali showed going into his first fight against Sonny Liston. The US is "afraid" of France? Post that in locker room, Andy Roddick. Let's just hope that by the time that the April 11-13 tie rolls around that Tsonga and Richard Gasquet are both healthy. Put that tie on a fast hard court and let Roddick, Blake, Tsonga and Gasquet throw haymakers.

At the home offices of Inside Tennis, I kept close ties on the Mexico-Canada tie, while my colleague Richard Osborn was scoreboard watching the Philippines v. Japan. Both of us are married (and fathered) into the underdog nation's prospects. I was hoping during the weekend that my kids would ask me how Mexico did in bitter cold Calgary, but none did, even though I hit Raul Ramirez-style forehands at all three during those hours on a gorgeous, warm and sunny stretch in NorCal. The Canadians were ripe to be had with Frank Dancevic out of the lineup, but Mexico is still way behind the eight ball when it comes to producing decent players and fell pretty quickly in the first three matches. There is small reason to hope, though, as youngster Cesar Ramirez out up a good effort in the dead rubber.

Mark LyonsAndy Murray dropped out of Britain's tie with Argentina
drawing the anger of his brother, Jamie, and coach John Lloyd.

Osborn was none too pleased to see what happened with the Philippines, which was shut out by Japan in Manila even though Americans Cecil Mamiit and Eric Taino play for the team. But both are aging and are at the tail end of their careers.

There are just simply not enough Third World countries in the World Group and it could be another decade (when the Cronin and Osborn kids are tossed into the fray with the blessing of their mothers) before Mexico or the Philippines makes a run at the main draw in either Davis Cup or Fed Cup.

NOTES FROM ALL OVER
Andy Murray's reputation took a deserved and sizeable hit with his pullout from Britain's tie v. Argentina. First his brother, Jamie, lashed out at him, then captain John Lloyd said he was taken aback. Bet he would have played if Brad Gilbert was still his coach. … Gilbert did not go to Argentina with the British team and his new and temporary student, Alex Bogdanovic, but the word off the court is that he's in Europe this week. … I can't imagine Tommy Haas making yet another strong run after the another shoulder surgery. Andy Roddick's girlfriend, Brooklyn Decker is once again in the Sport Illustrated and in an interview that must be old, she says, "I surprised my BF on his birthday with floor seats to the UNC-Duke game. He goes to UNC and is a huge fan and so am I. That was definitely the coolest things I've done, which makes it sexy." Uh, Andy doesn't go to UNC.

My Borg-McEnroe Summer of 1980 book is just a few months from completion (allegedly) and my eyes have been strained from watching old (1970s) tapes. I caught some of Borg-Gerulaitis '77 Wimbledon final today. Terrific stuff drama wise but aren't we all glad that high, short and down-the-middle chip is no longer suggested by teaching pros. Vitas: Just what were you doing floating balls back at Borg on key points. BTW: Whomever suggested brining back wooden rackets … why?

Harper Collins just released, "Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure." Here's one that been bandied about the caught my fancy: "After Harvard, had baby with crackhead." Here's mine: "Couldn't play it. Wrote about it." Co-owner Ron Cioffi's contribution is a paraphrase of his long-time friend, journalist Ken Dixon: "On my tombstone: Another dead guy."

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