FILE PHOTO: Mardy Fish of the U.S. leaves the court after losing to Feliciano Lopez of Spain in five sets at the U.S. Open Championships tennis tournament in New York, September 2, 2015. The match was the last of Fish’s professional career. REUTERS/Mike Segar
(Reuters) – Mardy Fish was named U.S. Davis Cup captain on Wednesday as the men’s team competition enters a new era.
Fish, winner of six ATP singles titles and a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, takes over from Jim Courier who held the post for eight years before stepping down in September.
“It is something that is a dream job for me, something I won’t take for granted,” said Fish during a conference call. “To be the next Davis Cup captain is incredibly humbling.
“I can’t express how excited I am… that the players have supported the decision,” added the 37-year-old who retired from professional tennis in 2015.
“Everyone is really excited about the idea of the reform and the new format, sort of a World Cup of Tennis.
“It is going to be interesting from all parties to see how it goes.”
Fish will take charge in a dramatically different Davis Cup format from the one in which he played in 11 ties from 2002-12.
Instead of the three-day ties that used to take place a few times during the year, it has been overhauled into an 18-team event that this year will be played from Nov. 18-24 in Madrid.
Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto. Editing by Pritha Sarkar