Gute ?sicht imho, deswegen sei das englische verziehen...
The Davis Cup is renowned for throwing up shocks, but it may well pay to stick with two of the favourites in this season's competition.
Australia and the USA are two true tennis heavyweights but unfortunately for both fans and punters, they are on course for a quarter-final meeting.
Once you look at the players named by the two nations, such a clash - which would take place Down Under - is worthy of final status.
The Aussies, the defending champions, stick with the same men who lifted the trophy back in December.
That means Lleyton Hewitt and Mark Philippoussis will play singles (both are ranked in the world's top 13), while they also have a fine doubles team in Todd Woodbridge and Wayne Arthurs - a key to any successful Davis Cup side.
The US are led by world number three Andy Roddick with rising star Robby Ginepri their second singles man.
They also have what surely is the best doubles team in the event, namely twins Bob and Mike Bryan, currently the world's top-ranked pair.
Both should secure easy first-round wins against Sweden and Austria respectively, leaving them to face off against each other in April.
No matter what surface is chosen, those are two evenly-matched teams and it is hard to pick a winner.
Also in the top half of the draw are Russia, Belarus, Argentina and Morocco.
Russia should win against their former Soviet colleagues in Minsk, but their star man, Marat Safin, is a doubt following his epic exploits at the recent Australian Open where he finished runner-up.
"There's no guarantee that Safin will play," Russian captain Shamil Tarpishchev admitted this week. "If he has not rehabilitated himself after Australia, there may be no point in fielding him."
Mikhail Youzhny and Nikolay Davydenko may manage to steer Russia through anyway, allowing Safin time to return for the last eight.
There the Russians will face one of two clay specialists.
Argentina woud normally be hot favourites to beat the Moroccans, but a hardcourt has been chosen in Agadir, while there are injury doubts over Argentine number one Guillermo Coria.
The likes of Younes El Aynaoui and the in-form Hicham Arazi could well take full advantage of that.
Argentina would likely face a trip to Moscow in the next round too - another reason for swerving them this year.
The bottom half looks a lot easier.
Second seeds Spain - last year's runners-up - are the heavyweights in this section but they are another team with doubts surrounding them ahead of the first round.
The clay-loving nation face a tricky trip to the Czech Republic who have not surprisingly chosen to blunt Spain's baseline strength by choosing a slick carpet court.
Add in the fact that Spain's leading two players, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Carlos Moya, are both injured and they look vulnerable.
Jiri Novak and Radek Stepanek are no mugs for the hosts, although Spain do have the likes of Feliciano Lopez and Rafael Nadal to call upon.
Spain have been drifting out this week following the injury news, but a best price of 5/1 still does not tempt, especially given they will not relish any away ties not on clay.
Instead, the value in this half looks to be with France and Switzerland.
The French face Croatia in round one and are missing their top-ranked player, Sebastien Grosjean.
But their strength in depth is notable.
Arnaud Clement and Nicolas Escude have both begun the new season well, while Michael Llodra is one of the world's top doubles players.
He recently teamed up with Fabrice Santoro to win the men's doubles at the Australian Open which makes it all the more strange why French captain Guy Forget has omitted Santoro.
Still, they should have too much for the big-serving Croats, particularly having chosen clay in Metz.
The Swiss are France's likely opponents in the last eight.
They rely heavily on new Australian Open champion Roger Federer but he has rarely let them down in Davis Cup.
He had been utterly dominant in the competition in 2002 and 2003 until he ran into an inspired Lleyton Hewitt in last year's semi-final and subsequently blew a two-set lead for his first defeat in 10 singles rubbers.
The key for the Swiss is for Federer to win his two singles and then grab another point from somewhere - possibly a Federer-plus-one doubles team.
That's a tough ask, but their cause has been aided by a favourable draw which means they are virtually guaranteed home matches all the way to the final.
Certainly they would face the French in Switzerland should the two progress to that proposed meeting.
Both are available around the 10/1 mark.
Summary:
There really is nothing to separate Australia and the US and the winner of their quarter-final tie has to be fancied to go all the way.
The Aussies probably have better strength in depth in their singles team, although the US have one of the world's best in Roddick and without doubt the top doubles pairing in the event.
For that reason, back both at 4/1 with SportingOdds.
The opposite half of the draw is less likely to produce the outright winner, so go for some each-way value by trying to pick a finalist.
Both France and Switzerland - also due to meet in the last eight - have good credentials, but plump for the French due to their strength in depth.
The Swiss rely too heavily on Federer and if he is absent at any stage, they will surely exit.
France have a great recent record in Davis Cup - they won in 2001 and were runners-up in 2002 - so back them at 12/1.
The Davis Cup is renowned for throwing up shocks, but it may well pay to stick with two of the favourites in this season's competition.
Australia and the USA are two true tennis heavyweights but unfortunately for both fans and punters, they are on course for a quarter-final meeting.
Once you look at the players named by the two nations, such a clash - which would take place Down Under - is worthy of final status.
The Aussies, the defending champions, stick with the same men who lifted the trophy back in December.
That means Lleyton Hewitt and Mark Philippoussis will play singles (both are ranked in the world's top 13), while they also have a fine doubles team in Todd Woodbridge and Wayne Arthurs - a key to any successful Davis Cup side.
The US are led by world number three Andy Roddick with rising star Robby Ginepri their second singles man.
They also have what surely is the best doubles team in the event, namely twins Bob and Mike Bryan, currently the world's top-ranked pair.
Both should secure easy first-round wins against Sweden and Austria respectively, leaving them to face off against each other in April.
No matter what surface is chosen, those are two evenly-matched teams and it is hard to pick a winner.
Also in the top half of the draw are Russia, Belarus, Argentina and Morocco.
Russia should win against their former Soviet colleagues in Minsk, but their star man, Marat Safin, is a doubt following his epic exploits at the recent Australian Open where he finished runner-up.
"There's no guarantee that Safin will play," Russian captain Shamil Tarpishchev admitted this week. "If he has not rehabilitated himself after Australia, there may be no point in fielding him."
Mikhail Youzhny and Nikolay Davydenko may manage to steer Russia through anyway, allowing Safin time to return for the last eight.
There the Russians will face one of two clay specialists.
Argentina woud normally be hot favourites to beat the Moroccans, but a hardcourt has been chosen in Agadir, while there are injury doubts over Argentine number one Guillermo Coria.
The likes of Younes El Aynaoui and the in-form Hicham Arazi could well take full advantage of that.
Argentina would likely face a trip to Moscow in the next round too - another reason for swerving them this year.
The bottom half looks a lot easier.
Second seeds Spain - last year's runners-up - are the heavyweights in this section but they are another team with doubts surrounding them ahead of the first round.
The clay-loving nation face a tricky trip to the Czech Republic who have not surprisingly chosen to blunt Spain's baseline strength by choosing a slick carpet court.
Add in the fact that Spain's leading two players, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Carlos Moya, are both injured and they look vulnerable.
Jiri Novak and Radek Stepanek are no mugs for the hosts, although Spain do have the likes of Feliciano Lopez and Rafael Nadal to call upon.
Spain have been drifting out this week following the injury news, but a best price of 5/1 still does not tempt, especially given they will not relish any away ties not on clay.
Instead, the value in this half looks to be with France and Switzerland.
The French face Croatia in round one and are missing their top-ranked player, Sebastien Grosjean.
But their strength in depth is notable.
Arnaud Clement and Nicolas Escude have both begun the new season well, while Michael Llodra is one of the world's top doubles players.
He recently teamed up with Fabrice Santoro to win the men's doubles at the Australian Open which makes it all the more strange why French captain Guy Forget has omitted Santoro.
Still, they should have too much for the big-serving Croats, particularly having chosen clay in Metz.
The Swiss are France's likely opponents in the last eight.
They rely heavily on new Australian Open champion Roger Federer but he has rarely let them down in Davis Cup.
He had been utterly dominant in the competition in 2002 and 2003 until he ran into an inspired Lleyton Hewitt in last year's semi-final and subsequently blew a two-set lead for his first defeat in 10 singles rubbers.
The key for the Swiss is for Federer to win his two singles and then grab another point from somewhere - possibly a Federer-plus-one doubles team.
That's a tough ask, but their cause has been aided by a favourable draw which means they are virtually guaranteed home matches all the way to the final.
Certainly they would face the French in Switzerland should the two progress to that proposed meeting.
Both are available around the 10/1 mark.
Summary:
There really is nothing to separate Australia and the US and the winner of their quarter-final tie has to be fancied to go all the way.
The Aussies probably have better strength in depth in their singles team, although the US have one of the world's best in Roddick and without doubt the top doubles pairing in the event.
For that reason, back both at 4/1 with SportingOdds.
The opposite half of the draw is less likely to produce the outright winner, so go for some each-way value by trying to pick a finalist.
Both France and Switzerland - also due to meet in the last eight - have good credentials, but plump for the French due to their strength in depth.
The Swiss rely too heavily on Federer and if he is absent at any stage, they will surely exit.
France have a great recent record in Davis Cup - they won in 2001 and were runners-up in 2002 - so back them at 12/1.
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