US vs. Czech Republic - Davis Cup Preview

The US is playing against the Czech Republic in Davis Cup action this weekend. I hope we don't suck. And yes, it is purely conincidental that ESPN decided to run the same story as me. This was purely spontaneous. Moving on.

There are three things (OK, there's more) that could really mess us up in this tie.

• Andy Roddick and James Blake are maaaaaybe not the best clay court players in the world. They are also playing against Thomas Berdych -- always a dangerous opponent.


• This goes with #1...it's on clay. Americans probably do need to train on it more, but they are still playing catch up to the rest of the world on hard courts.


• It's Davis Cup. It's an away match. It's a racous atmosphere. Anything can happen.

The good news is this: Roddick, Blake, and the Bryan brothers (the dubs team, never a concern) are playing just about as well as they can. Roddick disposed of some of the best players in the world at the Australian, and Blake is still playing an extremely high level of tennis.

I have all the confidence in the world about those guys, but Davis Cup is do or die; it's going to be fierce.