by Pete Bodo
I can think of at least one player at the U.S. vs. Switzerland first-round Davis Cup tie who may have been waiting for a long time for this to take place. Almost three years long, in fact. That would be Stanislas Wawrinka, who will open the tie against American No. 1 Mardy Fish tomorrow on the slow clay of the Forum Fribourg.
The last time the Swiss and U.S. were drawn to play was on U.S. soil (in Birmingham, Ala.) at the beginning of 2009. That tie had the makings of a classic, what with U.S. Davis Cup stalwarts Andy Roddick, James Blake, and the brothers Bryan hoping to find their way to a win by somehow getting around what you might call the "Roger Federer problem."
As it turned out, all of then-captain Pat McEnroe's anxieties were greatly reduced when, just days before the tie, that problem went away. Roger Fedrerer pulled out, citing a sore back. This put Wawrinka on the hot seat, because the chances of new Swiss No. 2 Marco Chiudinelli stealing a win were slim to none. The Swiss would be lucky to avoid a whitewash.
One of the terrific things about Davis Cup is that it's always a kind of celebration of tennis—I'm not even sure all of that flag-waving, those patriotic ensembles, or that thunderous chanting are heartfelt expressions of nationalism as much as nationalism just happens to be a convenient excuse for getting all dressed up, shouting, and doing silly things. Kind of like going to the Rocky Horror Picture Show used to be. But in any event. . .
The large crowds that turned out helped make the tie in Birmingham a fun, exciting, electric event on a sunny spring weekend in the southland, Federer's withdrawal nonwithstanding. Give Wawrinka an assist in that success story, because he ensured the tie would have a modicum of drama when he opened the ball with a great display of power-baseline tennis, knocking off Blake in four sets.
The Swiss would win just one more set the rest of the way, as Roddick handled Chiudinelli with ease, the Bryans quelled the surprisingly stubborn Swiss doubles team of Wawrinka and Yves Allegro, and Roddick completed a neat 4-4-2 win over Wawrinka in the fourth rubber to seal the tie.
You could understand Wawrinka feeling abandoned and lonely last time, but it's different now. Let's just say he has adequate "back up" in his pal Roger, the all-time Grand Slam singles title champ who will play No. 1 for the Swiss.
The Swiss also have home-court advantage in the fullest sense, as the tie will be played not just before a sea of red-and-white jerseys, but on slow indoor clay. That ties in with the third difference, which is that only one man on the present U.S. squad was on the side that won in Birmingham: Mike Bryan (Bob, his doubles partner and brother, is back at home in California familiarizing himself with the joys of changing diapers).
Despite the different venue and surface, Wawrinka and Fish doesn't have the look of a cakewalk for the Swiss. Fish is bound to remember and draw inspiration from that remarkable job he did on clay in the high-altitude of Bogota, winning all three of his matches in a crucial World Group playoff tie (he partnered with John Isner in the doubles). Fish is also No. 8 on the ATP computer—20 rungs higher than Wawrinka. And the American is 2-0 against the Wawrinka, although both of those wins were on hard courts.
In fact, Wawrinka is a combined 1-4 against the American singles players, Fish and Isner. That record includes just one match on clay, and it wasn't Wawrinka who won it. Isner beat him on the slow stuff in Belgrade in 2010. The open secret, in my mind, is that Wawrinka is a somewhat ponderous player who isn't as nimble as the best clay-court players. A lean and quick Fish will pose plenty of questions.
Of course, this still leaves U.S. captain Jim Courier with what might still be called the "Roger Federer problem." Federer will meet Isner in the second match on Friday, and I have a strong suspicion that Courier's last words to Isner will be, "Whatever happens, just make sure you keep him out there as long as humanly possible."
The best strategy, if that word is appropriate, is to use the slow clay in the only way it can be seen to have a hidden benefit for the U.S.—as a surface on which to wear down the 30-year old Grand Slam warrior. For Federer is penciled in to play in the doubles as well as the singles.
