Sunday Brunch

Mornin', all. It promises to be a quiet Sunday for the World Group in Davis Cup: The Czech Republic and Spain are through to the final. You never know what's going to happen in Davis Cup, especially when you have a wild-card personality like Radek Stepanek in the mix. Add a mercurial power-player like Tomas Berdych, who's capable of punishing the ball and taking out anyone on the proverbial given day, and you have the recipe for a potential upset in the final.

Or you would have that, if Spain did not have home-ground advantage. That prolonged hissing sound you hear is the air going out of the Czech balloon; with Rafael Nadal willing and eager to play (look at him in this picture; are we talking team spirit or what?) and Fernando Verdasco turning into a force on the tour this year, it's hard to see the Czech singles players playing at a sufficiently high level to stop the Spanish squad from adding to the nation's Davis Cup lore.

Spain will be shooting to improve it's record in Davis Cup finals to 4-1 since the year 2000. That's five World Group finals in less than a decade. Can you say dynasty? The lone Spanish loss in a final in this era occurred in 2003, when the team was beaten by Australian, Down Under on grass. Spain is also the defending champ, and back-to-back final rounds in today's talent-rich environment is a particularly telling feat. On top of all that, Spain defeated Israel this weekend without their two best players (Nadal and Verdasco).

In the most closely watched of the relegation battles, The Mighty Swiss chose not to play Roger Federer in the doubles, and that accounts partly for why the Italians were able to remain in contention for Day 3. I would have liked to be a fly on the wall when the doubles decision was made, given that Swiss captain Severin Luthi is about as close as Federer comes to having a formal coach. The Swiss might have decided to try for the sweep by playing Federer in the doubles, but took the more prudent approach. I imagine that Federer himself chose not to push his luck, physically, and lobbied to let his teammates Marco Chiudinelli and Stan Wawrinka contest the doubles  - and get to bask in the glory of clinching a place for the Swiss in the World Group for 2010. Well, that didn't work out so well. Simon Bolelli and Potito Starace handled them with ease, in straight sets, keeping Italian hopes alive in Genoa.

Federer is now set to clinch, and there's a good chance that the Italians will throw Fabio Fognini against him today in the fourth rubber, the first match of the day. It's hard to imagine Federer losing that one, but the Italians are at home on clay, and in Davis Cup, who knows? All I can say is that in the unlikely event that Federer loses, Stan the Man is going to have to put on his big boy pants. I get the feeling that the Swiss really, really want to be in the World Group for 2010, and that Davis Cup will be a priority for The Mighty Fed next year.

Enjoy the matches, everyone. See you at the same time, same place tomorrow.

-- Pete