The Cup Changeth

The heart of the tennis season traditionally starts beating at Indian Wells. From that point until the end of Wimbledon in July, virtually everything—every week—counts. Over those five months, two Grand Slams and five Masters events, four of them dual-gender, will be played.

This year, though, the men got the blood flowing a little early. The first round of Davis Cup was moved back a month, from early February to early March. There were eight World Group ties this weekend, and five of the current Top 10 were in action. As always, there was plenty to see and digest, including the second-longest singles match in tennis history.

The women weren’t idle, either—there were two intriguing results on the WTA side as well. All in all, it wasn’t a bad lead-in to Indian Wells. Here’s a five-part attempt to put this far-flung weekend in some semblance of perspective.

Out With the Old...

That would be the 2014 Davis Cup champions, Switzerland. The Swiss won the title a scant four months ago, but their brief reign of glory ended with a 3-2 loss to Belgium on Sunday. Roger Federer skipped this weekend’s first-round tie, claiming that the “big burden” of helping his country win was off his back. Federer has skipped many first-rounders in the past, but this time Stan Wawrinka, normally a reliable member of the team, joined him on the sidelines after a decade of service.

You might say this is more proof that Davis Cup should award a first-round bye to the defending champions; surely they deserve a chance to savor the title a little longer. According to an article by Chris Clarey in the New York Times last week, though, Davis Cup officials aren’t sure that would make much difference in terms of participation, and they were probably right in this case. From what Federer says, it doesn’t sound like a World Group appearance was in the cards for him at all in 2015.

...And In With the Nucleus

Or the nuclei, to be exact. This weekend had a changing-of-the-Davis Cup-guard feel to it. For Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Spain—winners of six of the last seven Cups—age and indifference seem to have doomed their chances for another title in the near future. But there are a couple of youthful contenders who look ready to take their places.

Canada used its strong one-two punch, Milos Raonic and Vasek Pospisil, to squeak past Japan 3-2. Raonic and Pospisil each did their part and split their singles matches, and Pospisil teamed with Daniel Nestor to win the doubles in five sets. We know Raonic can play with anyone, but it was Pospisil who clinched the tie in the fifth rubber. Pospisil is just 5-7 in Davis Cup singles for his career, but with his forcefully positive energy this weekend, he showed a knack for the team event that should serve the Canadians, who reached the semis two years ago and will face Belgium in July, well in the future.

It’s the past, rather than the future, that you usually think of when you think of Australian tennis. But the country’s Davis Cup team, which hasn’t won since 2003, may have turned a corner. Granted, it beat a much-depleted Czech Republic, but the Aussies did it without old reliable, Lleyton Hewitt, or their most promising new star, Nick Kyrgios. Instead, 18-year-old Thanasi Kokkinakis showed his own knack for the team game by beating Lukas Rosol in five sets, and Bernard Tomic, of all people, proved to be the stalwart of the weekend. He came up with two singles victories, including the clincher. Australia, who has a winnable match against Kazakhstan in the quarters, can suddenly dream of Cup No. 29.

Stars and Groundhogs

While Australia and Canada can dream, the U.S. team must feel like it's living in the Davis Cup version of Groundhog Day. For the second straight year, the Americans were eliminated by Great Britain, and for the second straight time it was James Ward—108th-ranked James Ward—who provided the crucial, five-set singles win. This time Ward worked his comeback magic against John Isner, who led two sets to love before losing, in predictably epic and demoralizing fashion, 15-13 in the fifth set. Isner took the loss hard, as he always does, and it’s tough to excuse it—“He can’t lose that match,” is what most people would say, and they would be right. But it’s also true that Ward played inspired tennis down the stretch and fully deserved his second moment of unexpected glory. He’s made lightning strike twice.

Of course, it didn’t hurt having Andy Murray there to back him up. While much of the media attention this weekend focused on the absence of the Swiss, it’s not true that Davis Cup has lacked stars in recent years. Over the last decade, the Big 4 have cycled in and out of the competition, and Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer have all been on winning teams at least once. While Rafa and Roger weren’t part of it this weekend, and may never be part of it again, Murray and Djokovic were there, leading their teams to victories. Half of the Big 4, and half of the Top 10 were in action—I’d say that glass is half-full.

Death on Another Afternoon

Anyone who follows Davis Cup knows it’s not about the stars, anyway. The competition is a little like the World Series in baseball. The hero of the Series isn't, typically, the league MVP or the best player on a given team; it’s the journeyman who sees his opportunity and takes it. You need more than stars to win the World Series, and you need more than one star to win the Davis Cup—just ask Viktor Troicki and Radek Stepanek, each of whom has provided a Cup-clinching win in recent years.

The most memorable moment of this weekend’s ties didn’t involve anyone in the Top 10 or even the Top 20. It was Leonardo Mayer of Argentina’s six-hour, 42-minute win over Joao Souza of Brazil, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), 5-7, 5-7, 15-13. It was the longest singles match in the 115-year history of Davis Cup, and the second-longest singles match of all time. Mayer-Souza was also the longest to be played entirely in one day. By the end, both men were staggering, punch drunk, across the clay. But with their backs against the ropes, each found the energy to throw another punch. Mayer, with Juan Martin del Potro cheering him on, finally won it on his 12th match point. Yet all it did was even the tie at 2-2. (Argentina would win the tie on Monday.)

Davis Cup: It makes the historic look routine.

Women to Watch

As I said, the women weren’t entirely idle this weekend. In fact, there were two developments that bear watching as we turn our eyes westward. First, Timea Bacsinszky gave the Swiss something to cheer by winning her second straight title, in Monterrey; it was also her second straight in Mexico, and her second straight over Caroline Garcia in the final. Bacsinszky, who will be 26 in June, is hardly a newcomer, but she’s having a career year. She also reached the final in Shenzhen at the start of the season and is up to No. 26 in the rankings. Maybe more significant, though, is the fact that the 21-year-old Garcia, despite those two losses, is up to No. 28.

On the other side of the world, another Caroline, Wozniacki, won her first title of 2015 in Kuala Lumpur. Over the last eight months, Wozniacki has made rising up the rankings look like child’s play; she’s at No. 5 again and will return to a favorite event of hers in Indian Wells. Is it too soon to start wondering about her scheduling priorities again?

Wozniacki’s trip to Kuala Lumpur paid off with a title, but what's the price of that much travel, and that much energy expended over relatively minor events? Players like Wozniacki, Aga Radwanska and Jelena Jankovic are famous for their relentless globe-trotting; this has helped their rankings soar, but it hasn't helped them win a major. It isn’t so much that playing all the time hurts them physically, though it can; it’s that playing to win every week, rather than playing to win on certain, more important weeks, becomes the mindset and the focus.

For this day, though, Wozniacki and Bacsinsky have made themselves women to watch as the season begins in earnest.