DELRAY BEACH, Fla. -- Andy Roddick's clay-court season
begins this week and could end with a Davis Cup match in September.
Flying high after big victories the past two weekends, Roddick
heads to Houston to start a clay schedule that will prepare him for
the French Open in May.
The Roddick-led U.S. Davis Cup team will consider clay for its
Sept. 24-26 semifinal against visiting Belarus. Fort Worth, Texas,
and Carson, Calif., are two early candidates for the site, which
will be chosen in the next month.
Captain Patrick McEnroe said he'll talk with Roddick and other
top American players before picking a surface. He'll also monitor
tournament results in the next few weeks.
"If the guys feel strongly about a particular surface, that's
probably what I'm going to go with, because they're the guys that
are out there playing," McEnroe said. "If we have a lot of
success on clay, then it might make that an easier decision for
us."
The top players for first-time semifinalist Belarus, Max Mirnyi
and Vladimir Voltchkov, prefer fast surfaces. For that reason,
McEnroe's most likely choice will be clay or a slow, high-bouncing
hard court similar to the one used for the Americans' 4-1 victory
over Sweden in the quarterfinals.
Roddick said a slow surface against Belarus make sense. He has
won four clay-court titles and is hoping for a breakthrough at
Roland Garros, where he lost in the opening round the past two
years.
One week after winning his first Key Biscayne title, Roddick
beat Jonas Bjorkman on Sunday to clinch the Davis Cup victory. The
U.S. team is aiming for its first championship in nine years, which
would end the longest American drought since 1926-37.
By sweeping six sets against Bjorkman and Thomas Enqvist,
Roddick improved to 12-3 in the Davis Cup.
"I had kind of a gaudy record, but a lot of that was just kind
of getting through," Roddick said. "This was definitely a huge
stepping stone for my Davis Cup career, to go up against two really
good veterans and win six sets on the trot. Hopefully I can keep
building on it."
Joining Roddick at the tournament in Houston are Davis Cup
teammates Mardy Fish, Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan. The Bryan brothers,
3-0 in Davis Cup play, give the U.S. team its best doubles tandem
in more than a decade.
"It's huge to have these guys step up as they've done in the
last year and a half," McEnroe said. "It takes a lot of pressure
off our singles guys."
While Roddick and the Bryans are certain to play against Belarus
if healthy, a singles slot is up for grabs. Fish lost to Bjorkman
on Friday and will be challenged by James Blake, Robby Ginepri and
Vince Spadea.
"We've got another five months or so for these guys to step
up," McEnroe said.
Spain and France meet in the other semifinal. If the U.S. team
wins in September, it would host France or travel to Spain for
December's final.