A dream in the making
Date published :
10 Mar 2010 - 12:29:58
A dream in the makingChile will play in the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas quarterfinals at home for the first time in its history, when Czech Republic is the visitor in July. Is it a chance to dream with higher altitudes, or will it be a bridge too farThe last two decades have seen Chile rise from Americas Zone Group II to an interesting position in the World Group, being almost unanimously considered a tough opponent at home, but a weak force away. In fact, the Chileans have never won away while in the World Group, not even in the Play-offs.Chile only passed the World Group first round in 1982 and 2006, but lost both times in the quarterfinals. A lucky draw may give them the chance to go far this year, but are they still capable of taking itA generation gameNicolas Massu and Fernando Gonzalez, the 2004 Olympic champions, have been the pride of their fans for the last decade, after the shining star of former world No. 1 Marcelo Rios burned out too soon. However, not everything lasts forever and both icons turn 31 and 30, respectively, this year. Gonzalez is still a Top 10 player, while Massu has slowly drifted away in recent years and now lurks around No. 100. The problem Chile currently faces is that there is a strong generational gap between them and the younger promises, a gap that threatens to return them to the lower divisions once Massu and Gonzalez finally retire from the professional game.After beating Israel, Chile now hosts Czech Republic, a team with two top class players, Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek. In theory, the home advantage is smaller than against most other opponents, as the Czechs know their way on clay. But the length of the journey and the cold, humid conditions of the South American winter might still make a difference.Last chanceGonzalez and Massu know how tough it will be, but they also know this is one of their last chances to make something big in Davis Cup. Not only because of their age, but also because after the Czechs, a potential semifinal with either Croatia or Serbia would be played at home as well a very good prospect for a team extremely tough to beat in its own back yard.Their morale could also be boosted by external facts. Both of them will tour their homeland this week, visiting the places more affected by the recent earthquake, and that could make them more sensitive to the concept of representing their nation, something that they excel about and that usually makes Massu raise his level. There is a team spirit that somehow had been lost in 2009, due to internal discussions, and that has been rekindled by the disaster. Team spirit, mentality, experience and good tennis... its a great combination, but do Massu and Gonzalez have enough of it to overcome a couple that are just as warrior-like as them, but a little youngerIf statistics are to be believed, Chile has a good shot to make it to the Final this year. But everybody, including themselves, is still wondering if perhaps this lucky draw arrived a couple of years too late.Related links> Twitter> Tie information> Audio interviews> Scorecards & stats> Gonzalez wins to give Chile quarterfinal berth> Erlich and Ram give Israel hope> Chile dominates after late start> Sela and Massu to start delayed Chile tie> Fighting for happinessRelated websites> Informacion en espanol - FTCH> Information in Hebrew - ITA
