Davis Cup – Being Part Of A Team

Written by: Global Chick on 9th July 2011

Davis Cup – Being Part Of A Team

Robin Soderling of Sweden returns to Bernard Tomic of Australia during their third round match for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 25 June 2011. EPA/NEIL MUNNS |

Is it possible for players playing an individual sport to compete in a team environment?

Being part of a Davis Cup team can make or break a rookie. There are a lot of team players out there. Australia’s Davis Cup captain Pat Rafter paid tribute to Peter Luczak. “Looch is not the highest ranked player in the world but Rafter felt it necessary to mention Peter’s good attributes at the official Davis Cup dinner this week.

“I don’t normally like to single out any one player but this guy deserves it. Looch is the ultimate team man. The guy will play whatever role the team requires him to play,” the Aussie Davis Cup captain said.

A lot of controversy has been expressed about top ranked players pulling out of the Davis Cup to rest up and concentrate on their own careers. The latest is Robin Soderling pulling out of Sweden’s tie against Serbia where he was really needed.

Soderling blames his intensive match schedule. He needs to rest his body to avoid injuries.

Lower ranked players will often look at a Davis Cup spot as an honour. The higher ranked players will see it as a burden and are often complaining about their already too long and heavy season.

It’s hard being in a team with too many big name players, some not having a clue how to behave in a team environment. The team game is all about pulling in the same direction. Davis Cup will probably need a format revamping unless it’s going to be a competition of the lower ranked players. How do we lure the top guys back in to Davis Cup?

Global Chick