Davis Cup: Heroes for the Weekend, featuring Wawrinka, Berdych, Federer and Murray

Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka, cheerleaders for the Switzerland Davis Cup team

It’s a long way from Melbourne to Belgrade. While eggs are being fried on pavements under the blazing sun Down Under, people trapped in blizzards are being rescued from their homes and vehicles in eastern Europe.

It must have felt quite different for Stanislas Wawrinka too, as he took to the tennis stage at Novi Sad, Serbia, this weekend. After all, not even a week had passed since his memorable Australian Open – a fortnight which saw him notch up significant victories against personal Big 4 nemeses Djokovic and Nadal, rise up all the way to number 3 in the ATP rankings, and in the process, complete the small task of winning a maiden Grand Slam title. Now, just a few days later, he was walking into an indoor stadium in the bleak European winter, to a hostile crowd, with practically no ATP points to gain, to take on an opponent that he likely knew very little about.

But that’s part of the curious eccentricities that surround the Davis Cup, and the tennis fraternity’s relationship with it. People don’t compete in the Davis Cup for points, or for money, or for their individual careers, we are told. Rather, it is for loftier-sounding ideals, like nationalism, pride and team spirit.

While the driving forces behind Davis Cup participation can be debated to death, a cursory glance at the background templates of the respective online home pages for the ATP and the Davis Cup will suffice for now. The ATP’s background shows individual tennis players in full-length and full flow, the focus of attention solely on the power, aesthetics, and sweat of men’s tennis. The Davis Cup background, on the other hand, is a riot of colours, with fans in war-paint, fans with vuvuzelas, fans waving flags, fans dancing,…

Irrespective of where your personal inclination might lie, the 2014 World Group first round of the Davis Cup did happen over the weekend. 16 countries were involved in eight ties all over the world, vying for a place in the quarterfinal stage. Some established stars renewed their relationship with the tournament, while some were conspicuous by their absence.

Five of the eight seeded teams were knocked out, and three home teams lost, though none of those results came as a huge surprise. And in a time-honoured tradition, a few players rose to the occasion over the weekend, played out of their skins, and did their bit to establish their personal Davis Cup warrior credentials. Here’s a look at a few of the players who took their turn to play Davis Cup hero this weekend.

The Rise and Rise of Tomas Berdych:

Tomas Berdych might have been treading water in the ATP Top 10 for a while now, but he has made tremendous strides in his Davis Cup career. A primary reason for the Czech Republic’s status of two-time defending champion, Berdych has also established a formidable doubles partnership in the tournament with Radek Stepanek.

This weekend, playing at home against the Netherlands, he watched his doubles mate lose the opening singles rubber to Robin Haase. But that didn’t faze him at all, as he reported for full duty, and proceeded to win both his singles rubbers in straight sets, while combining with Stepanek for a doubles victory. Looking ahead at the Czech Republic’s draw, and judging by his current form, Berdych must be fancying his country’s chances at a third straight Davis Cup.

Fabio Fognini, Flyer of the Flag:

Fabio Fognini doesn’t come across as the most ‘focused’ or ‘committed’ tennis player, on first glance. He may not seem to be the automatic choice to lay the weight of your nation’s expectations on. But then again, Fognini is an established son of the Italian soil. A recent interview with him had sections that ran as follows.

Q: What is your favourite cuisine?

FF: Italian

Q: Where do you like to vacation?

FF: In Italy

Q: Where have you seen the most beautiful women?

FF: In Italy, of course

So perhaps it wasn’t that surprising to watch Fognini kneel down, kiss the red clay and whoop in exultation after winning the deciding singles rubber against Carlos Berlocq of Argentina. Fognini had just done a Berdych, in that he watched his teammate lose the opening singles rubber, before making a clean sweep of the three matches he played in. What made his performance even more credible was that the tie was played away from home, and against Argentina – always a tough Davis Cup team, even if they were missing del Potro.

Thus, Fognini singlehandedly took Italy to only its second quarterfinal appearance in the last 15 years, and consigned Argentina to its first opening round defeat in 13 years. A heady performance from an unlikely Davis Cup warrior.