Translated material
Confirm or conquer
The Davis Cup final begins in Portland on Friday.
In Portland, America, from December 1 to 3, the final match of the Davis Cup will take place, where the home team will face off against the current holders of this prestigious trophy, the Russians. As one might expect, the “stars and stripes” quartet consisted of Andy Roddick, James Blake, brothers Bob and Mike Bryan. The Russian team included Igor Andreev, Nikolay Davydenko, Dmitry Tursunov and Mikhail Yuzhny.This is the fourth meeting between the American and Russian teams. The Americans have a slight advantage - 2:1. The only time Tarpishchev’s team managed to achieve victory was in 2006 in the semi-finals of the Davis Cup in Moscow. Before this, in 1998 and 1995, the Americans had the upper hand. In 1998 in Atlanta they beat the Russian team in the first round, and three years earlier in Moscow they won the main team trophy, the Silver Salad Bowl.
This was Team USA's 32nd victory in the Davis Cup final. The current generation of American tennis players is eager to add to this account. This was confirmed by the players themselves at a press conference held on the eve of the final in Portland. According to James Blake, the American team in its current composition is capable of not only regaining the title of the strongest team on the planet, but doing something more for their country, because the last time the Americans won this cup was 12 years ago.
All the tennis players' answers showed a desire to achieve victory at any cost. The same Andy Roddick said that he was ready to lose even two of his singles matches, provided that his team wins. Roddick stressed that the final cup match was a great end to the year for him. “I have always regarded my performances for the national team as a priority,” he added.
The captains of the American and Russian teams, Patrick McEnroe and Shamil Tarpishchev, did not fully reveal all the cards about who would play single matches under what number. In the American team, this is generally obvious, as is the fact that on the second day, during the doubles match, Bob and Mike Bryan, who have an amazing 12:1 win-loss ratio in Davis Cup matches, will take to the court. Only in 2005, in the first round against the Croatian national team, the twin brothers lost to Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic - 6:3, 6:7 (8), 4:6, 4:6. Before that, the Bryans made their debut in the Davis Cup in 2003, and after the defeat they never lost to anyone again. According to Bob, the Russian captain will most likely field Dmitry Tursunov and Mikhail Youzhny for the upcoming meeting, although it is possible that Marat Safin will also play. “The Russians may play tricks with the lineup to mislead us, and at the last moment they will announce Marat Safin, as if pulling an ace out of their sleeve,” Bob Bryan said at a press conference in Portland.
However, Russian captain Shamil Tarpishchev categorically rejected all speculation about Safin's participation. Having listed the names of four players, Tarpishchev made it clear that at the moment this is the strongest Russian team. “The guys play better than Marat. Don’t expect him here,” the Russian captain snapped.
Tarpishchev estimated his players' chances of winning the upcoming final as 30-35%. However, he added that in the first round of the cup, playing against the Chileans on a slow surface, the Russians were also not favorites, but snatched victory. Let us remember that this was followed by two home matches of the Russians - in the quarterfinals with the French and the semifinals with the Germans, which ended with the same score - 3:2. In turn, the Americans defeated the Czechs in the first round, then the Spaniards and Swedes. All three matches, judging by the score, were much easier for the Americans. Regardless of where the matches took place, the Americans won with the same score - 4:1.
However, American captain Patrick McEnroe did not hide the fact that the upcoming confrontation between his players and the Russians promises to be difficult and stubborn. “We have the fans and the court on our side, which we ourselves chose. And if our players show high-level tennis, then our team’s chances are good,” he said.
The Russians flew to Portland a few days before the start of the final so as not to have problems with acclimatization. This time, unlike the semi-final of the Federation Cup, the Russian captain did not have any visa problems. “I sent all the documents for a visa long before the start of the final, so that there were no delays,” Tarpishchev explained. At the same time, remembering the difficulties with the visa, Tarpishchev paid tribute to all the employees of the US Embassy in Moscow. According to him, they literally worked day and night, negotiated, called back with the US Embassy in Washington to resolve his issue positively.
The final battle for the “salad bowl” starts on November 30 and ends on December 2. But today the approximate income from this sporting event has been calculated, which amounts to $7.1 million. This does not take into account the money from the sale of world television broadcast rights. If we take this fact into account, the estimated amount of income will increase tenfold.