In the Meantime..

John Isner, far left, waving/AP Images

The next tennis major isn’t until May…so what’s going on in the sport of tennis in the meantime?

By Allie Leogrande

Davis Cup, Men’s: For the first time since 2008, the United States is one of the last four remaining teams in the Davis Cup. This, in part, is because of John Isner. Isner defeated Gilles Simon (France) on Friday, and then defeated Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-3 in the opening singles match on Sunday. Simon beat US 19-year-old Ryan Harrison in Sunday’s last match, but the win still wasn’t enough to get the French into the next round. The US won with the overall score 3-2, making Isner’s victory over Tsonga the one to send the Americans to the semifinals, something even they were not expecting.

"We've had the worst draw you could possibly imagine. I'm shocked that we're still in the Davis Cup this year," U.S. captain Jim Courier said.

Isner is continuing to impress and improve in 2012. In February, Isner defeated Roger Federer and helped the US to an unpredictable 5-0 victory over Switzerland in the first round of the Davis Cup. 

"People didn't think we could beat Switzerland. I'm sure there were some people who didn't think we could beat France," Isner said. "The reason I played so well this weekend was because (beating) Roger in the first round was huge for me because prior to that I hadn't really played that great in Davis Cup. Took a lot of pressure off me."

Earlier this year, the 6-foot-9 Isner defeated No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semifinals at Indian Wells, and now he’s becoming a leader for the US team competing in the Davis Cup.

Team USA will play Spain in the semifinals in September. Even if Rafael Nadal doesn’t play with Spain, the odds don’t look good for the US. Spain is the defending Davis Cup champion, and the semifinals will be played on its home soil. Another big reason is that the US does not normally play well on clay court, (this year’s Davis Cup clay court hasn’t stopped the Americans yet). Jim Courier said it’s probably right to say clay is the Americans’ “least favorite surface.”

The US and Spain are tied 5-5 during their Davis Cup meetings, however Spain has the advantage on Spanish clay 4-1.

US Fed Cup Roster Announced: The US Fed Cup roster for its matches against Ukraine on April 21-22 include Serena Williams, but not Venus Williams. Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez announced the team Wednesday, with other tennis players Christina McHale, Sloane Stephens, and Liezel Huber. This will be Serena Williams’ second consecutive Fed Cup appearance. She won twice in February, improving to 6-0 in singles play in the team competition. Whichever country wins the best-of-five-match series later this month will be included in the main Fed Cup group in 2013 and have a chance to compete for the title.

Nadal & Djokovic to Team Up: Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have become top rivals in recent years. However on July 14, the top two tennis players in the world will be playing for a common cause. Nadal and Djokovic will play in an exhibition match in Spain to benefit local charities. If this isn’t enough to attract attention, the match will be played at the stadium of soccer club Real Madrid. Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid holds 80,000 people. The Nadal-Djokovic exhibition will aim to break the tennis attendance record of 35,681 when Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters played an exhibition match in 2010. This anticipated match in July is a benefit for the Real Madrid Foundation and the Rafael Nadal Foundation, both of which fund programs for disadvantaged children.