3. Does the Worm deserve two bites at the national hero apple?
One of the beauties of Davis Cup is that it gives the guys on the second tier, the guys who will never win a Grand Slam, a chance to know what ultimate victory in tennis feels like. Fernando Verdasco, Mikhail Youzhny, Mario Ancic, Mark Philipoussis, Nicolas Escude: Those are just a few who have had a chance to play the hero’s role in a DC final over the years. It was Troicki himself who did the honors for Serbia in 2010, by winning the fifth and deciding rubber over France.
Last year, Stepanek took his place in this roll of temporary honor. At age 33, he capped a solid career by beating Nicolas Almagro in front of his home fans to give the Czech Republic its first Davis Cup title in 30 years. Those are usually once-in-a-life time opportunities, but the Worm may get to make it two on Sunday. He’s currently scheduled to face Lajovic in the fifth rubber.
Stepanek will almost surely lose his first match, to Djokovic. And on paper, he'll be a heavy favorite over Lajovic or anyone else the Serbs throw at him. But there are two questions to be answered. First, the doubles: Right now Lukas Rosol and Jan Hajek are scheduled to play for the Czechs, but they'll almost surely be scratched for Berdych and Stepanek, the team’s Saturday mainstays for the past decade. In last year’s final, against Spain, the Bird and the Worm were substituted in for doubles, and they provided the team with a crucial second point. Stepanek, defying his age, then went out on Sunday and beat Almagro. A year later, will he have enough for another three-day run? Djokovic may want to think about tiring Stepanek out as he plays him tomorrow.
If he needs inspiration, Stepanek should remember Philipoussis. Scud, despite his slacker’s reputation, clinched two Davis Cup finals for Australia.