Roddick, Blake to lead U.S. against Czechs
White Plains, NY - When the United States meets the host Czechs in next week’s first-round Davis Cup tie, world No. 4 Andy Roddick and sixth-ranked James Blake will lead the American charge. The doubles team will be the Australian Open champion Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike.The U.S. is captained by Patrick McEnroe, while the Czechs will be guided by Jaroslav Navratil in the best-of-five battle from February 9-11 on red clay at Ostrava’s CEZ Arena.’The Czech Republic will be a tough test for us, especially on clay,’ McEnroe said. ‘We know that
if we want to win the Davis Cup again that we have to win matches like this on the road and on clay. Our guys are ready to show they are up to the challenge.’USA owns 31 Davis Cup titles, but hasn’t hoisted the chalice since 1995. The United States-Czech Republic winner will meet the Spain-Switzerland victor in April.The U.S. Open runner-up Roddick has a 20-9 record in Davis Cup matches since joining the team in 2001, which places him sixth all-time in singles victories for the Americans.The Tennis Masters Cup Blake has a 12-7 overall record in Davis Cup (9-6 in singles; 3-1 in doubles).The Bryans won their fifth career Grand Slam doubles title last week when they successfully defended their crown at the Aussie Open.Navratil named world No. 12 Tomas Berdych, No. 91 Lukas Dlouhy, No. 162 Ivo Minar and doubles specialist Pavel Vizner to his team.The United States and Czech Republic have met five times in Davis Cup play, with the Americans holding a 4-1 advantage.© 2007 The Sports Network