After controversy surrounding the US
Davis Cup team, the U.S. Tennis Association on Monday announced
Bob Bryan will succeed Mardy Fish as their captain.
Bryan’s first matches in charge will come during the group stage in September.
Bryan and his twin brother, Mike, earned a record 16 Grand Slam titles together, 119 tour-level titles and an Olympic gold medal in doubles, finishing 10 seasons atop the ATP rankings before retiring in 2020. They went 25-5 as a pair in Davis Cup matches with a win in the finals 16 years ago against Poland.
Former World No.1
Andy Roddick said on the appointment: “Bob knows Davis Cup. He’s passionate about Davis Cup. He was one of the people that always said ‘yes’ to Davis Cup. The guys seem to like him a lot. I’m curious how he’s going to put his brand, his stamp, on it.”
It’s been 20 years since Roddick won the U.S. Open for the last Grand Slam singles trophy by a man from the U.S., but Frances Tiafoe reached the semifinals at Flushing Meadows last September and Tommy Paul made it to the final four at the Australian Open in January showing a resurgence.
The USTA said in January that Fish would no longer be captain, a post he held since 2019. Bryan was a Davis Cup coach under Fish and served as an acting captain last year when Fish was sidelined with COVID-19 with controversy surrounding the lack of selection for Rajeev Ram.