The Front Row with MARK NELKE July 7, 2011

There’s a Davis Cup quarterfinal match this week between the U.S. and Spain in Austin, Texas, not that many people care.

It used to be a big-enough deal that ESPN showed the matches. Now, the event has been relegated to the Tennis Channel.

Many years ago, I remember getting in trouble with my mom for blowing off mowing the lawn because I just had to watch TV as John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors played their singles matches on the first day of a Davis Cup “tie.”

Needless to say, the lawn would have been mowed promptly these days.

Why the Davis Cup even came up stems from an email I received last week, noting that Rafael Nadal was withdrawing from the Spain lineup for this week’s match with the U.S. “to rest following Wimbledon.”

That sort of thing is common these days. The same person who would play in a Grand Slam event with a nail in his foot would opt out of a Davis Cup match with a tummy ache.

What was interesting was, as the email noted, only 80 years ago, an American was ordered to withdraw from a Wimbledon final so he would be ready for the U.S.’s upcoming Davis Cup match with Great Britain.

According to the book “The Wimbledon Final That Never Was,” Frank Shields — the grandfather of actress and model Brooke Shields — injured his knee in his semifinal victory at Wimbledon, and the U.S. Tennis Association made him pull out of the finals.

In the long run, it didn’t matter as Great Britain won and went on to lose to France in the finals.

I’M NOT sure if interest in the Davis Cup has lagged in the U.S. because the Americans are no longer as successful, or because playing in the Grand Slam events has dwarfed suiting up for the ol’ US of A. Maybe a little of both.

The U.S. has won the Davis Cup a record 32 times, but only once since 1995.

There are lots of reasons not to play Davis Cup — the compensation is minimal, the grief tremendous if a U.S. player should lose to some no-name player from another country.

McEnroe was obviously never one to shy away from grief, and holds the record for the most U.S. victories in the Davis Cup. He was 59-10 in the Davis Cup, including a 22-2 record in doubles, and was a big reason Davis Cup was a big deal during the late 1970s and into the early 90s. I still remember his 6-hour, 22-minute marathon victory over Mats Wilander of Sweden in the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup in 1982 in St. Louis.

Among the others who served for their country in recent years — Andre Agassi (30-6 in 11 years of Davis Cup), Arthur Ashe (28-6 in 10 years), Pete Sampras (19-9 in eight years)

When I watch a tennis tournament, I find myself pulling a little more for the American guys who make the commitment to play Davis Cup.

It’s funny I remember Connors playing, because he only played Davis Cup in three years (1975, ’81 and ’84), going 10-3 in singles. He contended he could make more money playing exhibitions that week instead of Davis Cup, so he often did that instead.

This U.S. squad for this week’s match includes the Bryan twins, Bob and Mike, who are 18-2 in doubles in the Davis Cup; Andy Roddick, who has played Davis Cup every year but one since 2001; and Mardy Fish, who was the last American male playing at Wimbledon this year — which sadly is about all American tennis can hang its hat on anymore.

Say what you want about whether Roddick should have a better record in Grand Slam events (he has made it to five finals, with one win in the 2003 U.S. Open), but I will root for him because he plays for his country.

So I might tune in this weekend, to see how the USA is doing against the Nadal-less Spaniards.

If I can find the Tennis Channel.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via e-mail at [email protected].