Roddick in the Lead for Davis Cup against the Swiss

Monday, March 2, 2009 -- One man’s loss is another man’s gain. For Andy Roddick, it certainly is a welcome privilege to be the top listed player the American Davis Cup team once more. With Roger Federer bowing out of the event due to back pain, the United States will instead face Switzerland with a familiar lineup: Andy Roddick, James Blake and the doubles team of twin brothers Bob and Mike Bryan will compete in the opening-round match against Swiss stars. March 6-8, the opening round dates, will be the 13th Davis Cup match for the foursome to lead the U.S. team.

Team Captain Patrick McEnroe anticipates a strong and difficult match with the Swiss athletes, saying that, “We're not overlooking the team that Switzerland brings in.” Stanislas Wawrinka, Stephanie Bohli, Marco Chudinelli and Yves Allegro will comprise the Swiss team. Of the four, only Wawrinka, ranked No. 17 in the World, is included in the Top 100 of the ATP Tour.

The much-anticipated comeback of Roger Federer to play at the Davis Cup will have to be waited on a little bit longer; Federer initially announced in October that he will join the opening round match after five long years. His decision to back out radically changed the game plan of the team. “With Roger pulling out, that obviously changes the dynamic a little bit of the tie,” McEnroe said to reporters in a conference call. "Certainly if Roger was playing, it would have been pretty even,” he added.

The winning team in the first round will advance to square off with either Chile or Croatia on July 10-12 for the quarterfinals.