Did Mary Joe Fernandez Warn Me of Fed Cup Failure Back in December?

I don't know who, if anyone is getting the blame for the U.S. Fed Cup train wreck but at this point I really don't care.

Getting swept by a pedestrian German team and being sent to relegation play for the first time in the history of Fed Cup play is an embarassment for U.S. women's tennis, but this is where they deserve to be right now.

While the loss to Belgium earlier in 2011 was expected, the way this tie went down in Germany is troubling.

I think U.S. Fed Cup Captain and USTA apologist Mary Joe Fernandez saw this coming as far back as last year and while reviewing the tape of an interview I did with her back in December at the USTA Australian Open Wildcard Playoffs, she saw it coming.  Mary Joe's signed up as captain through 2012, so she has a chance to get us out of this mess.  If she doesn't, we need to go in another direction.  Any suggestions?

I asked Mary Joe what is lacking from the group of American women that are looking to break through and become top players? Here is her answer and some other interesting excerpts from the interview I did with her.

Mary Joe Fernandez: I think these girls lack confidence and a belief they need to have to make it to the top. That comes from hard work and beating the competition.

Rick Limpert: Have American players been too coddled and have they had it too easy in recent years.

Mary Joe Fernandez: I think that's been an issue. I've always said, attitude, how hard you work and how fit you get are under your control. I think we've just started instilling that in our players.

Rick Limpert: What's been the problem the last five years with the USTA developing players?

Mary Joe Fernandez: Well, the sport has become very global, when I started playing 60% of the top-100 were Americans. We played mostly in America, and there are more opportunities for girls here in the States now. I have a daughter and she loves soccer, and other sports do a good job at being there for kids. We've always had a champion on the men's and women's side and we got spoiled.

Rick Limpert:  Do you think the USTA sat on its hand for years waiting for the next great champion instead of being proactive and helping develop one or more than one?

Mary Joe Fernandez: I'm not sure, it's a combination of things.

Rick Limpert:  What about the Williams' Sisters?

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See the rest of this interview on The Daily Forehand...

Want to Play Fed Cup Tennis? Move to New Zealand or Malaysia

Want to play big-time tennis on an actual Federation Cup team?  The dream may not be so far fetched. 

Two countries with professional tour events, New Zealand and Malaysia have pulled out of their Fed Cup Asia-Oceania zonal group ties, unable to find suitable players to field a team.

Bad luck has hit both Fed Cup squads.  New Zealand's Sacha Jones is injured and Marina Erakovic, who is returning from injury, has opted to play a challenger this week in an attempt to boost her ranking. "We didn't think it was viable," said New Zealand federation chief Steve Wood.

The same decision was made by Malaysia when it could not find a second player. They found themselves unable to field a team as Jawairiah [Noordin] is now on her own while another fine player, Neesha Thirumalaichelvam is pursuing her educational opportunities in the United States.

My advice to New Zealand and Malaysia are to pull a Kazakhstan and start recruiting players that would never be selected to play for their homelands.  I hear Dinara Safina is available, or maybe one of the Bondarenkos could be had.  How about Alison Riske, she cant seem to get any love from Mary Joe Fernandez and the U.S. Fed Cup Team.