Reigning Davis Cup Champions Name Squad For 2008 Semifinals Against Spain in Madrid, September 19-21
September 10, 2008
FLUSHING, N.Y., September 4, 2008 — The USTA and U.S. Davis Cup Captain Patrick McEnroe today announced that the defending Davis Cup champions have named world No. 8 Andy Roddick, No. 9 James Blake and the top ranked doubles team in the world, Bob and Mike Bryan, to represent the U.S. in the 2008 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas semifinal. The U.S. will face Spain on a temporary outdoor red clay court constructed in Madrid’s Plaza de Toros Las Ventas (a bull ring with a capacity of 21,000), September 19-21.
Roddick, 26, is currently enjoying a career-best nine-match winning streak in Davis Cup and has a 29-9 record since joining the team in 2001, which places him third all-time in singles victories for the U.S. Davis Cup team. Last year, he went undefeated (6-0) to lead the U.S. to its first Davis Cup title since 1995. He has been the No. 1 player for the United States in all but two appearances — his debut at the 2001 Davis Cup First Round at Switzerland and the 2002 Davis Cup First Round win over the Slovak Republic (behind Pete Sampras) in Oklahoma City.
Blake, 28, has a 20-9 overall record in Davis Cup (17-8 in singles, 3-1 in doubles), having represented the United States in 15 ties over the past seven years. Blake turned professional after completing his sophomore season at Harvard as the No. 1 player in college tennis. In 2001, he became the first former Harvard student to represent the U.S. in Davis Cup in 75 years. Dwight Davis, a senior at Harvard, founded the Davis Cup competition in 1900.
Bob Bryan, 30, half of the world top-ranked doubles team, holds a 14-2 record in Davis Cup doubles with twin brother Mike and is 3-2 in singles. The duo is tied for first all-time in U.S. Davis Cup history with 14 doubles wins as a team. The Bryan brothers have won 48 doubles titles together and are the most successful sibling doubles team in the Open Era. Bob also won the US Open mixed doubles titles with three different partners: Katarina Srebotnik (2003), Vera Zvonareva (2004) and Martina Navratilova (2006).
Mike Bryan, 30, has played every doubles match for the U.S. Davis Cup team since he and his twin brother, Bob, joined the team in September 2003. They are the only brothers to pair in victory for the United States Davis Cup team. Together, they ended 2007 as the No. 1 doubles team in the world for the fourth time in five years. The duo recently captured the bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Beijing. Mike has 50 career ATP doubles titles and won the 2002 US Open and 2003 French Open mixed doubles titles with Lisa Raymond.
Founded in 1900, Davis Cup is the world’s largest annual international men’s team competition with 127 nations competing this year. The U.S. leads all nations with 32 Davis Cup titles.
AIG is the official sponsor of the U.S. Davis Cup team. Wilson is the official ball of the U.S. Davis Cup team.