US Tennis Update – Blake Out of Davis Cup
James Blake is tired. So tired in fact, that he has now been replaced on the US Davis Cup team that will face off against Spain a week from tomorrow. After competing in Beijing (and not winning anything) and losing to fellow American Mardy Fish at the US Open, Blake needs time to relax and skipping Spain is just the recipe.The good news for American tennis is that 20-year old Sam Querrey, who surpassed many expectations with his appearance in the fourth-round of the US Open, will replace Blake on the team, perhaps signaling a changing of the guard for the Americans. Though Blake is hardly “old,” his peak tennis is clearly behind him and it’s time to bring in some young blood to the team.
Querrey will be joining top-ranked American Andy Roddick, who got smoked by Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the Open, along with Bob and Mike Bryan, the world’s top doubles players.
The Americans will have a very diffcult time against the Spanish team, which is headlined by world #1 Rafael Nadal, along with #5 ranked David Ferrer, #15 Fernando Verdasco and #38 Feliciano Lopez.
But back to Querrey. Thanks to his improbable run during the US Open, his ranking jumped 15 spots from #55 in the world to #40. Other Americans who saw a signficant jump included Robert Kendrick, jumping 13 spots to #100, Sam Warburg moving up 14 spots to #155 and Ryler DeHeart, who improved his ranking by 53 spots to #208 in the world.
