The 2012 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group first round match between the United States and Switzerland will take place from Friday, February 10, to Sunday, February 12, in Fribourg, Switzerland, at the Fribourg Forum on a temporary indoor red clay court.
The U.S. will play on the road for the fifth time in six ties since it defeated Switzerland in the 2009 first round in Birmingham, Ala. The U.S. had played in four consecutive away ties, before their last outing against Spain in Austin, Texas in the 2011 World Group quarterfinal.
This first round tie will mark the fourth matchup overall between the U.S. and Switzerland in Davis Cup competition, with the U.S. leading the overall series 2-1. The first matchup between the U.S. and Switzerland occurred in the 1992 Davis Cup final, a 3-1 U.S. victory which current U.S. Captain Jim Courier clinched in the third singles rubber in Fort Worth, Texas (Andy Roddick and his family attended that final). It is Switzerland’s only appearance in the Davis Cup final. The next three meetings between the two nations have been first round contests. The United States beat Switzerland 4-1 in the 2009 first round in Birmingham, Ala., the last meeting between the two countries. Roger Federer did not compete for the Swiss in Birmingham, but he did record all three points in the 2001 first round tie in Switzerland for its only victory in the series.
Mardy Fish will compete as the U.S. team’s No. 1 player for just the third time in his career. In the 2010 World Group Playoff in Colombia, Fish, playing at the No. 1 position, became the first U.S. player to win three live rubbers in a single tie since Pete Sampras in 1995 Davis Cup Final. Fish won two five-set singles matches in Bogota (only the second American ever to do so in Davis Cup, matching Courier’s feat in the 1999 first round vs. Great Britain). and also won the doubles match with John Isner. In the 2011 quarterfinal against Spain, Fish spent more than eight hours on court, losing a five-set match to Feliciano Lopez and a four-set match to David Ferrer that featured two tiebreaks.
This will mark just the third Davis Cup tie in which the world No. 1 doubles team of Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan will not compete together, as Bob Bryan and his wife recently gave birth to their first child. The brothers, who win 18 victories are the winningest team in U.S. Davis Cup history, are each 1-0 when playing separately in Davis Cup competition. Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish partnered to give the U.S. its only point in the 2008 4-1 semifinal loss in Spain, while Bob Bryan and John Isner kept the U.S. alive in the 2010 first round tie in Serbia, which the Serbians ultimately won 3-2.
The United States owns the longest uninterrupted run in the World Group, dating back to 1989. The U.S. has a winning record against 35 countries of the 39 countries faced and a level record with two countries. The U.S. is undefeated versus 21 countries and holds an active winning streak against 33 nations. They lead all nations with 32 Davis Cup titles.
ORDER OF PLAY
DAY/LOCAL TIME EVENT DETAILS/PAIRING
Friday, 1 p.m. Singles A: Mardy Fish (U.S. No. 1) vs. Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI No. 2)
Singles B: John Isner (U.S. No. 2) vs. Roger Federer (SUI No. 1)
Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Doubles: * Mike Bryan and Ryan Harrison (USA) vs. Federer/Wawrinka (SUI)
Sunday, 12 p.m. Singles C: Fish (U.S.) vs. Federer (SUI)
Singles D: Isner (U.S.) vs. Wawrinka (SUI)
*Team captains may substitute the doubles team up to one hour before the match.
Davis Cup Team Comparison:
United States vs. SWITZERLAND
United States | Davis Cup Comparison | Switzerland |
1900 | First year played | 1923 |
97 | Years played | 82 |
275 (210-66) | Ties played | 152 (70-82) |
31 (57-24) | Years in World Group
(since 1981; including 2011) |
21 (9-20) |
32-time Champion
(32-29 in finals) |
Best Finish | Runner-up (to the U.S.) in 1992 |
U.S. vs. Switzerland Head-to-Head Player Breakdown
Roger Federer | Stanislas Wawrinka | |
Mardy Fish | 1-7 (Federer has won five on hard and two on grass; they have never met on clay) | 2-0 (Fish won both matches on hard courts) |
John Isner | 0-2 (Federer has won both matchups on hard courts) | 2-1 (Isner has a win on hard and a win on clay; Wawrinka won the first matchup on hard) |
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS & RECORDS (as of February 6)*
INDIVIDUAL SINGLES RESULTS
UNITED STATES
Player |
Singles Ranking |
Doubles Ranking |
SINGLES
2011/2012 |
CAREER |
TITLES
(2011) |
Mardy Fish | No. 8 | No. 118 | 43-25/1-1 | 276-200 | 6 (1) |
John Isner | No. 17 | No. 35 | 36-22/2-2 | 122-89 | 3 (2) |
Ryan Harrison | No. 95 | No. 171 | 14-19/1-3 | 20-32 | 0 (0) |
Mike Bryan |
— |
No. 1 |
DOUBLES
60-16/9-1 |
740-240 |
78 (8-1 in ‘12) |
SWITZERLAND
Player |
Singles Ranking |
Doubles Ranking |
SINGLES
2011/2012 |
CAREER |
TITLES
(2011) |
Roger Federer | No. 3 | No. 129 | 64-12/7-1 | 814-187 | 70 (4) |
Stanislas Wawrinka | No. 28 | No. 91 | 35-20/3-2 | 215-157 | 3 (1) |
Marco Chiudinelli
Michael Lammer |
No. 190
No. 251 |
No. 655
No. 619 |
3-4/0-1
1-2/0-0 |
41-67
6-20 |
0 (0)
0 (0) |
HEAD-TO-HEAD: UNITED STATES vs. SWITZERLAND
THE SERIES IS 2-1 IN FAVOR OF THE U.S.: This will be the fourth time that the United States and Switzerland have met in Davis Cup competition. It will be the first meeting between the two countries since a first round tie in March 2009 in Birmingham, Ala., which the U.S. won 4-1. Switzerland beat the U.S. 3-2 in the 2001 first round in Basel, the last time the two countries met in Switzerland.
Year | Score | Round | Location | Surface |
2012 | TBD | World Group First Round | Fribourg, Switzerland | Indoor Clay |
2009 | USA, 4-1 | World Group First Round | Birmingham, AL | Indoor Hard |
2001 | SUI, 3-2 | World Group First Round | Basel, Switzerland | Indoor Hard |
1992 | USA, 3-1 | World Group Final | Fort Worth, TX | Indoor Hard |
U.S. vs. SWITZERLAND RECORD
HOME-AWAY BREAKDOWN BY SURFACE |
||||
United States | SWITZERLAND | |||
Home | Neutral | Surface | Home | Neutral |
2-0 | — | Hard | 1-0 | — |
— | — | Clay | — | |
— | — | Indoor Carpet | — | — |
— | — | Grass | — | — |
2-0 | — | OVERALL | 1-0 | — |
The 1992 matchup between the U.S. and Switzerland was the only time the Swiss had played in the Davis Cup final. The Swiss faced the overpowering U.S. team of Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, John McEnroe, and Pete Sampras with the U.S. taking the match 3-1. The United States won one more Davis Cup title three years later and then faced a drought for twelve years until the team won the trophy in 2007 against Russia.
The only meeting between the two nations played in Switzerland was played in the 2001 World Group first round, played on indoor hard court in Basel, Switzerland. Roger Federer accounted for all three points in singles and doubles play to clinch a 3-2 victory over the U.S. Andy Roddick made his Davis Cup debut in the match, defeating George Bastl in a dead rubber.
The last meeting between the two nations was played on an indoor hard court in Birmingham, Ala., in the 2009 World Group first round. After Stanislas Wawrinka beat James Blake to open the tie, Andy Roddick sandwiched two singles victories around a doubles victory by Bob and Mike Bryan to clinch the tie for the U.S.
2009 World Group First Round: United States def. Switzerland, 4-1
Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Arena, Birmingham, Ala., (Indoor Hard) * March 6-8, 2009
Captains – Switzerland: Severin Luthi U.S.: Patrick McEnroe
Singles A: Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) d. James Blake 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(3)
Singles B: Andy Roddick (USA) d. Marco Chiudinelli 6-1, 6-3, 7-6(5)
Doubles: Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan (USA)
d. Yves Allegro/Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2)
Singles C: Andy Roddick (USA) d. Stanislas Wawrinka 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
Singles D: James Blake (USA) d. Marco Chiudinelli 6-4, 7-6(6)
2001 World Group First Round: Switzerland def. United States, 3-2
St. Jakobs Hall, Basel, SUI, (Indoor Hard) * February 9-11, 2001
Captains – Switzerland: Jakob Hlasek U.S.: Patrick McEnroe
Singles A: Roger Federer (SUI) d. Todd Martin 6-4, 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-1
Singles B: Jan-Michael Gambill (USA) d. Michel Kratochvil 6-3, 7-5, 6-4
Doubles: Roger Federer/Lorenzo Manta (SUI)
d. Jan-Michael Gambill/Justin Gimelstob 6-4, 6-2, 7-5
Singles C: Roger Federer (SUI) d. Jan-Michael Gambill 7-5, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
Singles D: Andy Roddick (USA) d. George Bastl 6-3, 6-4
1992 World Group Final: United States def. Switzerland, 3-1
Tarrant County Centre, Fort Worth, Texas, USA (Indoor Hard) * December 4-6, 1992
Captains – Switzerland: Dimitri Sturdza U.S.: Tom Gorman
Singles A: Andre Agassi (USA) d. Jakob Hlasek 6-1, 6-2, 6-2
Singles B: Marc Rosset (SUI) d. Jim Courier 6-3, 6-7(9), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
Doubles: John McEnroe/Pete Sampras (USA)
d. Jakob Hlasek/ Marc Rosset 6-7(5), 6-7(7), 7-5, 6-1, 6-2
Singles C: Jim Courier (USA) d. Jakob Hlasek 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Singles D: Andre Agassi (USA) vs. Marc Rosset Not played
Topics: John Isner, Mardy Fish, Mike Bryan, Roger Federer, Ryan Harrison, Stanislas Wawrinka