January 30, 2001
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK (TICKER) -- Patrick McEnroe passed up on his 41-year-old brother in favor of an 18-year-old future star.
The newly appointed United States Davis Cup captain stressed youth over experience in announcing his first U.S. team Tuesday for next week's first-round tie at Switzerland. He left his brother John on the sidelines and selected 18-year-old Andy Roddick as part of his four-man team.
Australian Open quarterfinalist Todd Martin, a Davis Cup player since 1994, will be the anchor of the team and will be joined by Roddick, Jan-Michael Gambill and Justin Gimelstob.
Patrick McEnroe admitted he discussed the possibility of selecting his brother, the most successful player in U.S. Davis Cup history whose one-year reign as captain ended with his resignation in November.
"I talked to him very seriously about it," said Patrick McEnroe, who succeeded his brother as captain December 13. "I think he's real excited about the direction I'm taking. We're looking to the future, having guys that are younger and want to win down the road. He was very supportive of my decision."
Patrick McEnroe also did not rule out selecting John in a future tie this year, provided the U.S. gets past the first round.
The new captain's preference to take younger players was no more evident than in his selection of Roddick, who finished 2000 as the No. 1 junior player in the world after winning the Australian and U.S. Open junior titles. He has compiled a 22-2 record in his last five events on the Challenger circuit, winning three titles.
"It was a no-brainer," Patrick McEnroe said. "He's an unbelievable talent and he's unbelievably passionate about playing Davis Cup. He's stepped up as a guy with the best results and he's shown the most potential, making unbelievable strides in his progress."
Martin, 30, defeated Pete Sampras to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Andre Agassi. He is 14-13 lifetime in Davis Cup competition, including 11-7 in singles.
Gambill has been a member of the U.S. Davis Cup team for the last three years, compiling a 1-3 record in singles. The 23-year-old reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon last year.
Gimelstob, 24, will be making his second appearance for the U.S. Davis Cup team after going winless in two matches in 1998. He is coming off his best performance in doubles at a Grand Slam event, reaching the semifinals with fellow American Scott Humphries.
"The future is now," Patrick McEnroe said. "Why not get these guys in the mix? It is a chance to get them to play in the spotlight of Davis Cup."
Patrick McEnroe announced that Martin and Gambill most likely will be used in singles on the first day, but he has not decided on what combination he will have as his doubles team.
Agassi and Sampras, arguably the top two American players in men's tennis, were not at Patrick McEnroe's disposal to play against Switzerland.
Agassi announced during the Australian Open that he may never play Davis Cup again, citing a need to revamp its format, and Sampras already had ruled himself out of the first-round tie.
"I hope that somewhere down the road that they will be part of the team," Patrick McEnroe said.
The U.S., which lost to eventual champion Spain in last year's semifinals, will travel to Basel, Switzerland for the best-of-five first-round tie February 9-11.
Switzerland's team will be composed of Roger Federer, George Bastl, Michel Kratochvil and Lorenzo Manta.
