USA fans are not happy with Davis Cup captain Bob Bryan after they were beaten by Australia in Malaga.
The Americans were defeated 2-1 as the Aussies kept their hopes for a 29th Davis Cup title alive.
Bryan has been subject to plenty of criticism for his team selections as the USA lost the first singles match and the deciding doubles tie.
But the 46-year-old has since responded to those claims and provided an explanation for the players he chose to compete against Australia.
Fans slammed USA captain Bob Bryan’s decisions at the Davis Cup
USA began their Davis Cup quarter-finals tie with Thanasi Kokkinakis taking on Ben Shelton in the opening singles match.
This surprised the Australians, who expected Tommy Paul to play, but captain Bryan opted for Shelton, who was making his Davis Cup debut.
He contested a thrilling three set battle with Kokkinakis, who prevailed 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(14). Their final set tiebreak was the longest ever played in the history of the Davis Cup.
After Taylor Fritz defeated Alex de Minaur to level the Davis Cup finals tie, Bryan opted for the doubles team of Paul and Shelton over the specialised pairing of Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek for the deciding match. They were defeated 4-6, 4-6 by Matthew Ebden and Jordan Thompson.
Australia advanced and American fans were not happy with Bryan’s team selections. Angry X user @jerry_political said: “Bob Bryan ought to be FIRED from ever coaching Team USA again after Australia beat us due to horrible roster management.”
@tkakdeniz posted: “Hindsight is a beautiful thing, but opting for Shelton over Paul in the singles, and then picking both of them for the doubles instead of the actual doubles experts was utterly baffling, even at the time in my eyes. They’ve been punished.”
@ReichelRadio added: “What’s the point of having elite doubles players on the roster if you aren’t going to use them in an elimination match? Bob Bryan punted the Davis Cup so hard. Might be the dumbest tennis coaching decision that I’ve ever seen.”
When did Bob Bryan become USA’s Davis Cup captain?
In March 2023, Bryan was named USA’s new Davis Cup captain and took over from Mardy Fish.
His first group stage matches in charge came back in September 2023 in the group stages and America were dominant in the 2024 group stages to reach the Finals. But they made an early exit and Bryan hit back on the criticism he received for team selection against Australia.
“Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of roster spots. There are only five. I brought the five guys that I thought would have the best chance to win this Davis Cup,” Bryan said. “Even after today’s result, I wouldn’t go back and change anything.
“We’ve got a lot of firepower from the singles lineup. It was a matchup decision in this case, and I wouldn’t change a thing.
“We were hoping to catch the Aussies a little bit by surprise, but those guys rose to the occasion and served a high percentage, took care of their, you know, their shots and stepped up.”
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
