During Sam Querrey’s five-set  loss to Croat Marin Cilic on Tuesday, John McEnroe said it is very likely that his younger brother and Davis Cup captain Patrick would choose Querrey for the U.S. match against Croatia on clay starting July 10 instead of a lagging James Blake.  A USTA press release the same day said an announcement about the team selection would be made later this week. 

Blake’s ranking is down to 17, and he lost both in first rounds of Wimbledon and the French Open.  He played poorly in his Davis Cup match in March against Stanislas Wawrinka (McEnroe in his Davis Cup diary published in the July issue Tennis magazine expressed displeasure at Blake’s unwillingness to change tactics). 

But if Blake wants to play, he should be named to the team.  He has been a loyal team member and still has a better record on clay (6-5) this year than Querrey (3-5) or Mardy Fish (4-5).  Blake’s tough win over Mikhail Youzhny in 2007 in Portland is a key reason the U.S. won the cup that year.  

If Blake opts not to go, as he did against Spain last year, Mardy Fish should get the call to join Andy Roddick as the singles players, even though he lost to Djokovic today in three sets.  Fish is ranked 25, reached the quarterfinals of last year’s U.S. Open, and is in the third round of Wimbledon, not to mention he won the Delray Beach tournament in March.  Querrey’s results this year have been disappointing, and that’s why he is ranked 47.  He was unable to serve out the second set against Cilic on Tuesday to give himself a two sets to love lead and a chance at winning the match.  Besides, Fish is 27 and Querrey only 21, so Querrey will have his chances in the future, while Fish’s window is narrowing.  

Fish showed his loyalty to the Davis Cup cause last fall, flying to Spain on late notice one week before his wedding to fill in for an injured Bob Bryan in the doubles – and that was after lower-ranked Querrey was selected ahead of him in singles. Fish, to his great credit, never publicly complained about being passed over for singles.  Instead, he showed up and played tough.  He and Mike Bryan won the doubles, giving the U.S. its only point against the heavily favored and ultimate championship Spanish team. 

In addition to the much higher ranking, Fish has earned the selection through his selfless actions.   If not Blake, Mardy Fish should play in Croatia. Otherwise, I think Patrick McEnroe will have some serious explaining to do.

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3. U.S.- Croatia Davis Cup: Day 1, Blake v. Karlovic, Fish v. Cilic With Andy Roddick out, the Davis Cup singles matches between the...
4. Roddick and Blake Out of Davis Cup 2010 The U.S. first round match in Serbia has become even...
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