Hello Everyone,
I just got back from Belgrade, Serbia, where we played Davis Cup. Good trip overall – it would have been nice to walk away with a win, but overall our team is happy with the effort. We pushed them far and almost won the tie.
John Isner, Bob and Mike Bryan, Captain Patrick McEnroe and I got to Belgrade a few days before the tie. The Belgrade Arena was really impressive, and a bit intimidating. We already knew it was going to be filled with 20.000 fanatic fans. The fans were definitely intense (it’s not often that you hear that much noise between first and second serves).
The weather was chilly, and it even snowed a bit. One night we actually ate dinner at an ancient castle, overlooking Belgrade. It was a gorgeous view. The old town is beautiful as well. They have these cool little coffee shops, with pretty good tasting coffee. However, what surprised me is that you can still see some bombed buildings from the Balkan Wars; it was kind of scary and sad.
One night, we actually were invited to the US Ambassador’s Residency in Belgrade for a cocktail reception. We all wore suits and ties, but I accidentally forgot to change my socks! I ended up wearing a black suit with white socks – I looked a bit like Michael Jackson. It was a little embarrassing, but hopefully nobody caught any pictures of me, but of course I’ll continue to be reminded about this by my teammates. I was also fired up that my Dad came along for the trip – it’s always nice having him there. And I think that he and Mr. Isner had a good time together.
As for my matches, I am proud of the way I played against Djokovic. I knew he was going to give his all in front of his fans in his hometown, and I knew I had to give my best to even have a shot at beating him. The clay was a bit slow, but the balls bounced pretty high, so I was okay with the surface. I had my chances – it was a close match! I felt good about the win against Victor Troicki in the last match.
I would like to take a moment to congratulate John Isner - I am proud of you, buddy! He played two great singles matches, and helped out Bob Bryan in the doubles tremendously. It was unexpected for him to play in the doubles match, but after Mike came down with food poisoning, John stepped up, and did great. It was a good battle, and I can honestly say that we gave what we had in Belgrade. This time though, it was just not enough against this Serbian Team. But I am looking forward to our next tie in a few months.
I got into Indian Wells on Tuesday getting ready for the BNP Paribas Open. I played in the K-Swiss Desert Smash event at the LaQuinta Resort and Club, which was a lot of fun. I played doubles with Mardy Fish against Bob and Mike Bryan, and then a set against Djokovic. After this charity event, I’ll be playing at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. This is actually one of my favorite tournaments of the year because it is so close to Los Angeles, my hometown. Usually I have all my friends and family around for this event, so it is going to be awesome again this year too. Hopefully I will do well. I feel prepared and all ready to go.
Thanks for all your support during the weekend; I appreciate it, as always.
Till next time,
Sam