Poor Gilly. I was worried about him after hearing the interview with him yesterday when he seemingly didn't seem all that concerned about the difference between Davis Cup and any other tennis match you'll ever play. Methinks the rookie just wasn't prepared for what he was about to walk into, especially on a hostile court.
Ain't no shame in losing to Big Byrd, though. It was a tight match that took almost 3 and a half hours before Byrdy prevailed, 76(3) 46 76(2) 63.
Of course, this put a lot of pressure on Jo, who had to face the red hot (play-wise) Worm. Thankfully Jo kept his cool and played solidly, beating Steps, 75 62 76(1). Afterwards, Jo kept it teamy:
“Today I felt great, I’ve been playing very well in the past few weeks, it was good to win for the team and for Gilles Simon. I know what it’s like to play a first Davis Cup match and I wanted to give him a second chance."
Awww.
