Dusseldorf
DusseldorfThis team event is a good warm up for the players with the added camaraderie that makes it fun to watch. Andy Roddick makes his return alongside James Blake and Ryan Harrison.
We’re talking clay, and pound for pound, you could look to Argentina as one of the favorites in Chela, Berlocq and Mayer but they still look weak in comparison and the typically non-clay nations.
Let’s break it down:
Level: ATP 250
Surface: Outdoor Clay
Teams: Serbia, Czech Republic, Argentina, Germany, Croatia, USA, Japan, Russia
Defending Champions: Germany – Field a solid team again with PK playing well.
Surprise Package: Japan – Go Soeda and Tatsuma ‘Satsuma’ Ito are both in good form and could turn some heads.
My pick: Czech Republic – The Berdych/Stepanek duo are locked in and should take this one.
Did You Know? Germany lead in overall tournament wins with 5. US, Argentina, Spain, Sweden 4, Australia 3, Czech Republic 2, Chile -2, Yugoslavia, Croatia, France, Switzerland, Slovakia and Serbia 1.
Nice
Long John Isner still needs to prove he is a Major threat on clay since his Davis Cup win against Federer. He gets an easy draw until a potential match up with Bernie ‘Atomic’ Tomic semi-finals. Tomic himself has not won a tour title yet, but that can’t last much longer. Not sure if clay is where he will capture it first though.
Let’s break it down:
Level: ATP 250
Surface: Outdoor Clay
Defending Champions: Nicolas ‘Dirt Devil’ Almagro
On Fire: Gilles Simon – Steady as a rock, Simon is in his hometown and looks for his 11th title.
Slumping: Gael ‘Force’ Monfils – Badly needs to string some match wins together to still be a ‘Force’
Sleeper: Juan Carlos Ferrero – JCF put in a great display against Federer in Rome, so his confidence could be high for an upset.
On the Rise: Brian Baker – The late bloomer from the US burned his way through qualifying and could cause some frights.
My pick: Nicolas Almagro – Nico hoovers up these 250 events and I see him continuing to do so here.
