Baseline Top 5: U.S. Davis Cup captain possibilities

After eight years at the helm of the U.S. Davis Cup team, Jim Courier has decided to step down. The Hall of Famer’s teams compiled a 10-8 record during his tenure, with his best finishes being two semifinal appearances.

Now, it’s time to start to looking at new candidates, who’ll be tasked with adjusting to the revamped format taking place next year.

Here’s a look at five potential choices who could possibly help the U.S. win its first title in more than a decade.

1

James Blake

Since retiring, Blake has still been involved in the game, primarily as a studio analyst for the Tennis Channel. As he started to phase out of his playing days, the former world No. 4 helped younger players like Sam Querrey and Jack Sock make the transition to the pro tour. He’s also known Davis Cup success as part of that last title-winning team in 2007.

2

Jay Berger

The United States Tennis Association found success in the Fed Cup by tapping Kathy Rinaldi as captain, counting on her past experience with the players who would be making up her team, as she helped coach them in the juniors. The best counterpart to Rinaldi would be Berger, the former world No. 7 and member of the 1990 Davis Cup championship team, who was a USTA and college coach for years.

3

Andy Roddick

Over the past 40 years, three players for the U.S. team have been Davis Cup standouts in singles, winning dozens of rubbers: John McEnroe, Andre Agassi and Roddick. The 2017 Hall of Fame inductee led the way to the last U.S. title in ’07 and, like Blake, has helped players like John Isner and his peers learn the nuances of tour life. The reduced Davis Cup schedule might make the job more enticing to Roddick, who has maintained a busy schedule since retiring.

4

Mary Joe Fernandez

The barrier has been broken as far as having a woman lead a men’s team in competition by France and Spain. If the U.S. were to go that route, a more-than-worthy candidate would be Fernandez. During her time as the Fed Cup captain, the team reached two finals, relying on a mix of young singles players and veteran doubles specialists, without the full-time commitment of the top American women at the time.

5

Robby Ginepri

The last two Davis Cup captains to win titles were Patrick McEnroe and Tom Gorman, both of whom had solid careers as players, but were overshadowed by some of their compatriots at the time. That’s something Ginepri can relate to as he cracked the top 15, but didn’t make that top-10 push like Roddick, Blake and Mardy Fish. Would that make him more relatable to the young crop coming up? He already has an in with the next generation as he’s been working wonders with Frances Tiafoe—a player who could be a Davis Cup fixture for years to come.

Follow Van on Twitter: @Van_Sias

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