New U.S. Davis Cup captain Jim Courier is confident of his team’s chances in Chile on red clay this coming weekend. Courier will send Andy Roddick out to face Nicolas Massu, and John Isner to play Paul Capdeville on Friday. On Saturday, the world’s top doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan are slated to play Massu and Jorge Aguilar
"The conditions here in Santiago are pretty good for us,” Courier said on his USTA.com blog. "The balls are quick, there’s some altitude, and the balls are bouncing pretty high as a result. Our guys all have big serves, so the balls are moving quickly through the warm summer air. It’s warm (about 85 in the day) but it’s not humid; perfect tennis weather…Andy is feeling good after dealing with the flu during his run to the Memphis title 10 days ago. I don’t see any lingering effects that will impact him on the court at all. John is looking at ease on the surface, which may surprise some people, but not me. You would assume a tall guy with a massive serve wouldn’t like a slower court like clay, but he moves comfortably on the surface and it gives him extra time to use his powerful groundstrokes."—Matthew Cronin