By IANS
New York : US Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe named Andy Roddick, James Blake, Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan for the four-man roster that will play Sweden in the Sep 21-13 Davis Cup semi-final at Gothenburg.
In the other semi-final, Russia host Germany at the Olympic Stadium in Moscow on an indoor clay surface.
“The guys always circle these weeks as big events for them,” said McEnroe, who has held the position for seven years. “I think they know we have a real good chance to go all the way this year.”
The Americans defeated the Czech Republic 4-1 in the first round followed by a comprehensive 4-1 quarter-final home victory over Spain, reports the US Tensis Association (USTA) website.
Rising young Americans Sam Querrey and John Inser have been invited to travel with the team to Gothenburg to serve as practice partners. Both huge servers, they are expected to be useful in simulating the pace that the Americans can expect to receive from the Swedes on a fast indoor hard court.
“I think it’s their commitment and their energy,” said McEnroe. “They just love being there. They love being with each other. They bring that kind of passion every time.”
With a berth in the Davis Cup final tantalisingly close, the road test against a veteran Sweden squad will determine if the US are contenders or pretenders to bring back the Cup for the first time since 1995.
“I think we have a very good attitude about it. I think we’ve been in there,” said McEnroe.
“Going to Russia (2006 semifinal) was always going to be a tough match. Going to Spain (2004 final) is about as tough as you can get. We won a big match on the road early in the year against the Czechs, which was big to do that, especially on clay away.”
Following the US Open, the players have less than two weeks to recharge their batteries before travelling to the Swedish coastal city.
The last time the US played at the Scandinavium arena, in the 1997 Davis Cup final, the Swedes swept past a team that included Michael Chang, Peter Sampras, Todd Martin, and Jonathan Stark. Current Swedish team member Jonas Bjorkman accounted for three of five points.