Tebbutt: A Rear View of Davis Cup

The above picture was taken when the Canadian and French Davis Cup teams assembled for the draw ceremony at the Vancouver Lawn Tennis Club last Thursday.

It was a moment when all hopes were permitted, and when there was a terrific sense of anticipation as Canada made an appearance in the 16-nation World Group for the first time since 2004.

Now, in hindsight, how should we look back at the tie held at the Thunderbird Sports Centre on the campus of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver?

The stage was set magnificently on Friday as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga overwhelmed Vasek Pospisil in straight sets and then Milos Roanic followed up with an equally impressive display by taking out Julien Benneteau in similar fashion.

Almost everyone around the Canadian team all week had been saying that they hoped for a split after the first day’s matches, partly because that guaranteed that the tie would still be alive going into Sunday’s reverse singles.

Once that was achieved – because Raonic lived up to his advance billing by outclassing an accomplished opponent in the No. 35-ranked Benneteau – there was a sense that ultimate victory in the best-of-five match tie was possible.

But that pretty well ended with the straight-sets loss to Benneteau and Michael Llodra in the doubles on Saturday. I have mentioned this before, but the first point of the opening-set tiebreak exposed the lack of experience and cohesion of the Raonic – Daniel Nestor pairing. A short lob sailed up between the two not far from the net, just waiting to be smashed away for a winner. But there was a problem on the Canadian side of the net – neither player (a lefthander and a right-hander with their overheads on the outside) knew who should take it. Nestor finally improvised a bunt back of the ball and the point wound up going to the French, giving them a mini-break advantage that they never relinquished on the way to winning the tiebreak 7-1.

I have thought about that point – because losing the first set tiebreak, and eventually the match, was probably the turning point of the whole weekend.

This is just speculation because I have not spoken to Nestor or Raonic about it, but here’s what may have happened. Nestor thinks to himself, “Milos may be the most powerful player in tennis today, I’m going to let him blast he ball into the 17th row of the stands.”

In Raonic’s mind it’s more a matter of, “I’m here beside one of the best doubles players in the history of the game, I’ll just let the old master handle it.”

The result was indecision and a lost opportunity.

Raonic subsequently revealed he aggravated a knee injury just before the tiebreak began, so who knows whether the Canadian side could have won the tiebreak or even come back from losing it to take the match after that snafu on that very first point.

What happened Sunday, when Raonic (below beside Tsonga during practice last week) withdrew from his singles match with the French No. 1 because of an injured knee, pretty well sealed Canada’s fate.

There has been much talk about the Raonic decision – could he have sucked it up and played on Sunday? But here’s the brutal reality of today’s tennis. If he played and hurt himself so badly that he was out of action for a month or two, his ranking would drop.

Then it’s tougher getting seeded, or even getting into tournaments and his very livelihood as a player could be affected.

So erring on the side of caution and pulling out of the reverse singles against Tsonga was a smart decision. The losers, of course, were all those looking forward to seeing Raonic play one of the best players in the world. But there should be many more occasions for that in the future.

LOOKING THE PART

Several people have mentioned to me that they were disappointed with the ‘presentation’ of the Canadian team compared to their opponents from France during the weekend tie in Vancouver.

The French support group were all neatly attired in the same outfits (below) and rose as one when it came time to encourage their player (or players) out on the court.

By contrast, the Canadian group behind captain Martin Laurendeau were not nearly as uniform in dress – some wore black and others red or other colours. Also, there did not seem to be the same unity in their cheering for their compatriots.

I have learned that an effort will be made, at least in terms of dress, for the Canadian team to present a more co-ordinated look for the next tie in September.

GOING TO THE TOP

When Tebbutt gets on the warpath about something – look out!

This is mention No. 3 of the fairly large pothole (above pictured on a rainy day last November) on the sidewalk in Paris leading to Roland Garros. The first was during last year’s French Open and the second was while I was at the Paris/Bercy indoor event last fall.

The pothole has been there for three or four years and nothing has been done about despite the fact that probably more than 20,000 people a day during Roland Garros walk along that avevue de la Porte d’Auteuil sidewalk to the tennis from the two Metro stations nearby. Returning to my hotel one night last year, I talked to someone who told me a woman had earlier stepped in the pothole and hurt herself.

I have complained to some French Tennis Federation officials about the pothole but they always claim it is the responsibility of the City of Paris.

Well, enough is enough…I have gone to the top. I cornered French Tennis Federation president Jean Gachassin in Vancouver last Wednesday and told him about the pothole. He said that he would do something about it and I sent him an email with a link to my blog from last November with the pictures. He did not respond but I saw him on Sunday and gave him a friendly reminder. He at least remembered talking to me about it.

So, the next update on this pressing matter will come the first time I walk along that sidewalk on the way to the 2012 edition of the French Open.

RUBIN: A RABIB FAN

When Murray Rubin of Toronto travelled west for the Davis Cup tie last weekend, he did not go unprepared – as can be seen in the picture above.

Rubin, an avid fan and a big supporter of tennis, is huge booster of Canadian players. He has a particular soft spot for awesome doubles maestro Daniel Nestor.

POST CARD FROM ‘THE GONG’

On Monday, I returned from a trip that began on December 31st and included four days in Wollongong near Sydney, almost as month in Melbourne, three days in Sydney and then nine days in Vancouver for Davis Cup on the way back to Toronto.

One of my favourite pictures from the trip was taken in early January in “The Gong.” It is of the ocean and the tankers that go up and down the east coast of Australia on a regular basis.