Inside update

'Game Changers'

World's Best Player Pound-for-Pound

Definition of Sport

US Tennis and the Economy

Michael Duranceau

APS Tennis California

GP Tennis Academy Ky

Deguchi Elite Tennis, Tx

Zo-Fit Tennis, Va

Misa Tennis Academy

ITS Kids 10s - Quick Start

Nat.Jr Tennis & Learning

ITS Teaching Philosophy

ITS Swiss History

Feberuary 01 2013 Beeyong Sison

The first round of the world’s largest annual international team competition in men’s tennis goes underway this weekend February 1 to 3.  

Defending champion Czech Republic leads 137 countries in this year’s first round action on Friday after celebrating their 3-2 win over power-house Spain in its 100th Final last November, 2012 at the O2 Arena in Prague. 

Organized by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the Davis Cup event is played annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format and structured with a 16-nation World Group over four weekends during the year.

In the World Group, the 16 nations compete in 8 first-round ties; the 8 winners compete in 4 quarter-final-round ties; the 4 winners compete in 2 semifinal-round ties; and the 2 winners compete in the final round tie. Each of the three regional zones is divided into four groups. Groups I and II play elimination rounds, with the losing teams facing relegation to the next-lower group. In Group III and Group IV competition, each tie consists only of 3 rubbers, which include 2 singles and one doubles rubber to be played in one day. The rubbers are in the best-of-3-set format, with a tie breaker if necessary to decide all three sets.

Last year's World Group runner-up Spain will go against Canada, the United States will face Brazil while France tackles Israel who beat the Nishikori-led tough Japanese team in last season’s World Group qualifying finals to make the sweet sixteen. The Czech teamwill be without the services of Stepanek who won the decisive fifth rubber against Nicolas Almagro of Spain in the finals. The finals hero withdrew citing a back injury thus ruling him out of the tie against Switzerland.  Ivo Minar will be replacing Stepanek.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia will lead his country this weekend against Belgium but also without teammate world No.9 Janko Tipsarevic who recently pulled out because of a foot injury during last week’s Australian Open. Djokovic last Sunday became  the first man in the Open Era to win three successive Australian Open titles after coming from behind to beat No. 3 seed Andy Murray 6-7(2), 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-2 at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. 

The 25-year old Serbian star captured his sixth Grand Slam championships and the third man in the Open Era to win four Australian Open titles, joining Agassi and Roger Federer in the elite club. His Serbian team made Davis Cup history in 2010 together with Tipsarevic, Viktor Troicki and Nenad Zimonjic when the squad lifted the coveted Davis Cup trophy for the first time after beating France 3-2 in Belgrade. For this weekend, the Serbian team has announced that world no.39 Viktor Troicki will officially replace Tipsarevic in the team.

The American team, with No.16 John Isner, overcame great odds last season when they went on to defeat Switzerland and France, all away games on clay, before their run was stopped by Spain in the semifinals. This year they will face Brazil, who finally made the World Group after losing in the World Group play-offs for six straight years.  

The rest of the matchups this weekend in the World Group include Croatia versus Italy, Argentina against Germany who eliminated Australia in the relegation, and Austria will take on second-timer Kazakhstan who moved up to the elite group when they upset Uzbekistan 3-1 in the qualifying of World Group last season.