Russia Adds Two to Fed Cup Line-Up

Written by: Staff on 4th November 2011

Russia Adds Two to Fed Cup Line-Up |

Shamil Tarpischev has been captain of the Soviet Union and Russia’s Davis Cup team since 1974 and has doubled up the job with captaining the Fed Cup team since the turn of the century. So he is well aware of the small print in the International Tennis Federation rule-books for the two events.

Therefore the 63 year-old Russian tennis tsar knew he was well within his rights to add Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova to his line-up just two hours before today’s draw ceremony for the 2011 final against the Czech Republic at Moscow’s Olympic Stadium.

Although four-time champions with home advantage for the first time in the final since routing Italy 4-0 in 2007, Russia is without its leading player Vera Zvonareva and Tarpischev insists the Czechs are favorites to win the title a sixth time.

“”Judging by the latest results I’d say the Czech team look to be the favorites as our girls failed to win any trophies in the recent months,” insisted Tarpischev, mindful that the opposition’s key player Petra Kvitova hoisted the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships trophy in Istanbul six days ago.

“The specific form of a specific player will be the deciding factor in this match. Everybody is tired now, at the end of the season, everybody suffers from injuries. The strength of both teams is pretty much even.”

Tarpischev elected not to gamble on year ending world no.7 Zvonareva who was battling a shoulder injury. She was reportedly close to quitting before losing on the same court in the quarter finals of the Kremlin Cup two weeks ago. Then in Istanbul Zvonareva won only one of her four matches.

“First of all, one’s serve suffers from such an injury,” Tarpischev said. “But it’s useless to play against the Czechs without a solid serve. You have to hold your serve first. And Kvitova will hold hers.”

The Czechs have not appeared in the final since 1988 when they beat the Soviet Union 2-1. Russia is unbeaten at home in 10 ties since losing to eventual champion France in the semifinals in 2003.

However Tarpischev has ordered the slowest possible court to be laid in a bid to negate Kvitova’s left handed serve. “It will be easier to cope with her speed and vary the height of the ball’s bounce,” he said. “The task will be not only to try to overplay her with the power of the shot but beat her tactically as well.”

Maria Kirilenko will lead off for Russia in the initial singles against Kvitova before Svetlana Kuznetsova faces Lucie Safarova. The two doubles team designated at the draw were Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Elena Vesnina for Russia and Lucie Hradecka and Kveta Peschke for the Czechs.

“DAILY TENNIS NEWS WIRE”