Playing from the heart


By Jessica Goldstein
EastGators staff writer

FORT LAUDERDALE -- The United States Davis Cup team hasn't won a title since 1995. Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Jim Courier led that "dream team" to victory.

Today's a new era in tennis, and it's about time for a new generation of Americans to win the Davis Cup.

The U.S. clinched its first-round match against Austria 5-0 on Feb. 6 in Fort Lauderdale. Led by American sensation Andy Roddick, twin brothers Bob and Mike Bryan and Robby Ginepri, the team looked unstoppable. Nevertheless, the Americans face their toughest challenges yet -- getting tennis fans excited about such a wonderful event and living up to their predecessors.

But the questions linger on. Will this young team capture a Davis Cup title? Although their first tie seemed like a convincing win, the Americans face the tough task of playing the Swedes on April 9.

MaliVai Washington, ESPN tennis analyst, said: "To win the Davis Cup, you don't need the best players in the world; you need players who are able to rise to the occasion at the right time."

If the U.S. team has so much talent, then why doesn't the public embrace it like Wimbledon or the U.S. Open?

Rising to the occasion is the main issue here. We all know that Roddick is capable of huge things, but what about his American counterparts? They aren't new to tennis, but let's face it, they're not Andre or Pete. That's reason No. 1 why the fans aren't adopting the Davis Cup. The American "stars" have opted out of playing, as usual.

University of Florida tennis player Trey Johnson said he has a lot of respect for the young men playing for our country.

"Players like Roddick and Ginepri give young guys like me hope," Johnson said. "It's OK that players like Agassi don't participate in Davis Cup because it gives this team a chance to lead the U.S. to victory. If they can accomplish this, I feel that they are worthy of admiration, not only from the tennis community, but from the country as well."

The next reason tennis fans don't get into Davis Cup action is mostly the fault of television. Only the true tennis fan will follow the tournament via the Internet because most matches are played overseas. Although it may be a daunting task, watching the U.S. scores update on the computer gives many fans a sense of American pride.

Tennis is not a highly broadcasted sport on any of the major networks, so it doesn't get the coverage it well deserves. For the fans to cheer on their country, their country must first show it on television.

The Davis Cup is the one and only tennis event where fans are allowed to stand up, be rowdy and show support for their team.

So even when the first round match was played on American soil in Massachusetts, television viewing was at an all-time low, according to TV Guide.

Maybe it was because it was only the first-round tie and Austria doesn't have the best tennis talent.

But the more probable explanation is that the Davis Cup was never shown live on television. It was played in reruns at odd times of the day.

"In any given year, any one of the 16 teams can win the Davis Cup," Washington said. "Unfortunately, it's not an event that the public embraces. But the players embrace Davis Cup dearly."