U.S. Davis Cup captain Bob Bryan is going with the Big American 4 in Delray Beach.
In a departure from a prior statement regarding his five-man roster, Bryan has selected America’s top four singles guns – Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul – to face the Czech Republic Sept. 12-13 at the Delray Beach Tennis Center in a second-round Cup qualifier.
Originally, Bryan had mulled taking three of the four top-notch American singles players and using a dedicated, lesser-known doubles player. The Davis Cup is a best-of-five matches played over two days with four singles bouts and one doubles battle.
But with Shelton’s ATP 1000 title in Toronto last week, Bryan felt he had to go with the four stars. They all have strong Florida ties and ranked in the top 16.
“I’m excited to have the top four Americans that have committed to joining,” Bryan told The Palm Beach Post on Aug. 14. “I’m a lucky captain. Not one person I talked to over the last couple of months ever said no. Every player up and down the rankings said yes to the opportunity.”
Fritz, the No. 1 American at No. 4, lives in Miami. Tiafoe (14th-ranked) moved to Boca Raton in recent years. Shelton, the lefty power-serving machine, famously starred at the University of Florida. And Paul, ranked 16th, is a longtime Boca Raton resident.
“We’re in a great spot, especially with Ben Shelton winning Canada last week, his first masters and rising to 6 in the world,” said Bryan, the former doubles icon who partnered with his twin brother. “Fritz is at his career-best ranking at 4. And Tommy and Frances, who live across the street from Delray and will be playing at home. It’s exciting to have their support as they have great camaraderie and love being around each other. The fans will be treated to some magic in Delray Beach.”
This is the first home Davis Cup match since 2021 in Reno, Nevada. September’s winner moves on to the Davis Cup final round in Bologna, Italy, in late November. The United States hasn’t won the Davis Cup title since 2007.
“This is the first time Davis Cup has come back to Delray in 20 years,” Bryan said. “It might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for people here in South Florida to see Davis Cup up close. You’ve seen tour tennis on TV but there’s something different about Davis Cup with the atmosphere, noise and passion from the players.”
The USTA announced the Czech team will feature singles No. 17 Jakub Mensik, the teenager who won the Miami Open in March; No. 24 Tomas Machac; No. 26 Jiri Lehecka; doubles No. 36 Adam Pavlásek; and 19-year-old Petr Brunclik.
Bryan said his attachment to tennis was born from being at the 1990 Davis Cup match vs. Mexico at age 11 with his brother in La Costa, California.
“It hooked me and my brother when we were little,” Bryan said. “It lit a fire that never went out. It’s the reason we wanted to be pros and specialize in doubles. I just saw the picture with our flags and face painted red, white and blue.”
Regarding his lineup, one theory is Bryan is awaiting results of the upcoming U.S. Open to see if one of his Americans makes a run to the final four. That type of marathon could make it more likely the player cancels on the Davis Cup.
Fritz made the U.S. Open finals last year and beat Tiafoe in a five-set semifinal. Tiafoe is battling a sore lower back that caused him to pull out of his Round of 16 match in Cincinnati on Aug. 13.
Bryan said he has many options for his fifth spot, including adding a singles player who excels in doubles, with Alex Michelson a candidate. Or using top doubles stars Ranjan Ram, Austin Kracijek, Christian Harrison and Evan King. He said he’s monitoring doubles results in Cincinnati and the U.S. Open.
“There’s a lot on the table,” said Bryan, who believes the talent is there to break the title drought.
Two-day and single-day ticket packages are available via Ticketmaster.com. Tennis Channel will televise the event.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Big American 4 tennis players to represent United States in Davis Cup match vs. Czech Republic
Reporting by Marc Berman / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
