The Davis Cup was once the most prized trophy in all of tennis. In recent years, the top players have not supported the annual team competition whole-heartedly, diminishing its prestige in the tennis firmament.
The world's top two men ranked players, however, both hold the team competition close to their heart. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have made themselves available for Davis Cup duty at every opportunity over the past few years and both have experienced the thrill of winning the team competition in recent times.
For all the records that he holds and the titles that he has amassed, the one glaring absence in Roger Federer's resume is the lack of a Davis Cup title. Federer has often cited the demanding schedule of the Davis Cup as one of the reasons he has not played more often for Switzerland in the annual team competition - instead choosing to focus on individual Grand Slam glory.
With an able supporting member in Stanislaus Wawrinka, the Swiss could be a tough team to beat (Federer and Wawrinka are the reigning Olympic doubles champions) but Federer has not made himself available for Davis Cup duty when the Swiss have qualified for the World Group in recent years.
This weekend, Federer will play for his country in a relegation tie against Portugal. If the Swiss win, they will move into the World Group play-off tie in September - and if they win that, the Swiss will qualify for the elite 16 nation World Group in 2012.
But if the Swiss reach there, don't expect Federer to don the Swiss uniform in early 2012 (an Olympic year) for the first round of the World Group. The last time Federer played for Switzerland in a World Group tie was in 2004.
In 2005, Federer did not play in the World Group first round which the Swiss went on to lose. Federer then showed up for the relegation play off and helped the Swiss retain their place in the World Group.
The same pattern has been repeated every year since - except for 2010 where Federer did not play at all.
One has to wonder about Federer's logic of helping the Swiss qualify for the World Group but not helping them get further. Now at the age of 30 and being challenged to remain relevant in a season dominated by Djokovic and Nadal, Federer's best chance of winning the team competition maybe behind him.
For a man who loves tennis history, Federer's lack of reverence towards tennis' most historic event is surprising to say the least.
Picture - From www.daylife.com
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