Roger Federer’s friend and countryman Marco Chiudinelli tells ESPN Deportes that while he would like Federer to play Davis Cup more, it might not mean that Switzerland will finally win the Davis Cup. Playing without the world No. 3, Switzerland suffered a 3-2 loss to Czech Republic in the first round of World Group play, and will host a play-off tie against Ecuador in September.
“Obviously everyone on the team, including myself, are disappointed that he does not help us more often in these early rounds,” Chiudinelli said. “He played last year. And it doesn’t mean that just because he plays, we will win every time. We’ve lost series with him in the team. We lost against Czech Republic in 2007 with Roger. We lost last year against the United States, at home, with Roger. It’s not a guarantee of success with [Roger]. But obviously we have more chances if he’s with us.
“I always regret that he is not playing more. Everyone on the team regrets it. But there is nothing we can do about it….[But] he’s always honest about his decisions. We know a few months in advance. There has never been much room for discussion.”