Swiss captain Severin Luthi, who works with Federer on tour as a coach, has named the 16-time Grand Slam champion alongside Stanislas Wawrinka, Marco Chiudinelli and Michael Lammer in what is a full strength team for the hosts.
USA are yet to announce their line-up for the trip to Fribourg, as the deadline for player nominations isn’t until 31 January, although Andy Roddick has already admitted he won’t be available after picking up a right hamstring injury at the Australian Open.
Switzerland versus USA looks to be the pick of the World Group first round ties and Federer’s inclusion could tip the balance in favour of the Swiss, who haven’t lost a tie with the world No. 3 in the team since 2007.
The two nations have met three times before, with home advantage proving decisive on each occasion. Federer won all three rubbers when the Swiss recorded their sole victory in 2001, but he wasn’t in the side when the Americans gained revenge in 2009.
However, the most memorable tie between Switzerland and USA was their first meeting in 1992. The occasion was the Davis Cup Final when an American ‘dream team’ made up of Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and John McEnroe lifted the trophy in Fort Worth, Texas.
The action gets under at Forum Fribourg, an indoor clay court venue with a capacity of 7,500 seats, on 10 February at 1pm local time. Live streaming of the tie is available throughout the weekend on the official Davis Cup video website: DavisCup.tv
Date: 01.02.2012, Source: Davis Cup
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