Davis Cup is a definite detour from the traditional tennis tournaments. It’s a team playing for their country – and all the fun stuff that comes with that kind of pride playing for the home team.
The atmosphere is more like a soccer (futbol) match in Europe than a tennis match. Between points the crowd cheers, bangs on drums, and toots horns. They dress up in all sorts of crazy costumes with their country’s colors. It’s fun.
The countries play four times through the year and this weekend it was Australia at Belgium and Serbia at France. I only caught a couple of replay matches and somehow I was lucky enough that they were of one of my favorites, Belgium’s David Goffin. (I’ve included a picture from a prior trip of Brussels above – it was a day trip from Paris when we saw the French Open.) There are 5 matches comprised of two singles, a doubles, and then two reverse singles, where the first two singles matches switch opponents. Depending on how a country does year over year determines if they are in the top tier playing for the trophy.
And, when I turned it on, I was thrilled out of my mind, because for the first time, on Tennis Channel, I heard Gigi Salmon. She is the best tennis broadcaster. I usually hear her on Radio Roland Garros, Radio Wimbledon, and Indian Wells Radio. She is also the Broadcaster for Chelsea FC. Actually, when I don’t get my dose of Gigi at Roland Garros or Wimbledon, it takes a little away from it.
So, Goffin lead his team to victory, and they will be meeting the French in November for the trophy. And I’m hoping Gigi will be bring me “ball by ball” coverage.
Until then, Allez, Allez, Allez!!!
Sue B Tennis Life 