US Confident Going Into Fed Cup

Written by: Staff on 3rd February 2011

US Confident Going Into Fed Cup

Melanie Oudin (USA) |

Even with the US playing Belgium, including Aussie Open winner Kim Clijsters, this weekend in the 2011 Fed Cup, the squad feels they can be successful.

Nevertheless, Clijsters is on the squad’s mind but U.S. Fed Cup Captain Mary Joe Fernandez thinks her win at the Aussie Open might make her vulnerable due to exhaustion. When asked if she thinks she will be tired coming off the win, she responded:

“I hope so. Kim had a fantastic Australian Open and is full of confidence. We’ll go out there, do our best and see what happens. It’s a thrill to play Kim in her home country. She is one of the nicest players we’ve seen. It will be exciting, but challenging.”

That excitement was echoed by Melanie Oudin, as she described her feelings toward potentially playing Clijsters,

“Playing Kim would be a real honor because I grew up watching Kim. She’s always been a great player, an idol to me. Getting to play against her would be pretty cool. I am definitely looking forward to it.”

Ultimately it will be the chemistry of Mary Joe’s squad that she feels will allow them to be successful.

“I think everyone does have very good chemistry and looks forward to this week, to really coming together. Tennis is an individual sport and you are on your own most of the time, so this is very unique that you are able to support each other, practice with each other, have every meal together, play games and just really bond. I think our team has done that the past couple of years. It makes it a lot of fun and we look at it like a family reuniting during these Fed Cup weeks. That carries over when everybody gets on the court,” says Fernandez.

The US match against Belgium will be aired live on the Tennis Channel at 7:30 a.m. ET this Saturday and Sunday.

Topics: Kim Clijsters, Mary Joe Fernandez, Melanie Oudin