The Bummer Factor

Well, I had intended to write the preview of the the U.S./Russia Davis Cup tie when I returned from the Heroes of Conservation awards ceremony last night, but it turned out that I became a hero of consumption and the last thing I remember is curling up - if that's the right word - on the newly tiled, rock-hard floor in the kitchen. The only thing that got wrote last night was a check that morning couldn't cash. Gosh, I hope my darling wife doesn't decide to check the weblog this morning.

It looks like Russia's gamble has paid off, with Marat Safin pounding Andy Roddick in the first rubber of the tie, which puts James Blake in a really tough position. There's a lot of pressure on the guy playing the second singles when his teammate just lost the first match; there's the "bummer" factor (and you can't really control emotional reactions to a win or loss; they just occur) and, even more critically, the hard-to-escape feeling that the fate of the tie rests in your hands.

So here's Blake, with some serious Davis Cup issues (he's a great team guy, but he hasn't responded to the unique pressure of Davis Cup very well at all), some serious best-of-five set issues (I think he's winless in his last nine five setters), and some serious clay-court issues.

I'd say the U.S. is in deep doo-doo right about now.

It's funny, but before the first match I was thinking along these lines: Roddick is on an upswing, and while clay isn't his best or favorite surface, he's always had a great attitude about having to play on it (I've always thought it one of his higher virtues). So if Safin, having been promoted up into the hot seat, has trouble handling the pressure, Roddick could win.

This would set the stage for Blake to have a potentially career-altering match against Michael Youzhny, who isn't exactly the worst opponent you could draw in a Davis Cup clay-court semifinal tie. I don't really go with the conventional logic  on Blake and clay; I think a streaky, nimble player who hits a pretty flat ball and has a weapon can do well on clay at any given moment, if not day-in, day-out. So I was hoping that a combination of Blake playing at his flashy, athletic best, combined with the pressure Youzhny might feel being down a match, before a disappointed home crowd, could enable Blake to deal with a number of his issues, all at once.

This apparently is not going to be the case. My own bummer factor has kicked in; I think this is going to be a wipe-out, with Russia advancing to the final - not the worst result, given the talent and sex appeal  (just check out the verses D-Wiz and our other poetesses penned for Nikolay Davydenko and/or his teammates at the Armadillo Poetry Slam post). Argentine is where the action is apt to be from here one in. . .