U.S. Roles Reprised in Davis Cup

This may have been one of Patrick McEnroe’s simplest decisions in his tenure as U.S. Davis Cup captain.

In selecting the squad to compete in next week’s quarterfinal against Chile, McEnroe went with the four players he used in February’s first-round victory against Romania -- No. 4-ranked Andy Roddick, No. 9 James Blake and Australian Open doubles champions Bob and Mike Bryan of Camarillo.

The matches against Chile will be April 7-9 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage. A U.S. Tennis Assn. official said that the event is “close” to a sellout.

Several factors made McEnroe’s decision easier. Andre Agassi remains sidelined because of a chronic back condition, withdrawing from the tour stop in Key Biscayne, Fla., shortly before his first match last week.

Blake has taken a sizable step forward by winning a tournament in Las Vegas and reaching the final at Indian Wells earlier this month.

Potential candidates Robby Ginepri and an injured Taylor Dent have struggled in 2006.

“I would never say it’s easy,” McEnroe said during a conference call Tuesday. “Let’s put it this way: I would have preferred to have it be more difficult. I would have preferred to see Taylor Dent play the last two Masters Series events because I think he could have been a real factor on grass. I would have preferred to see Andre make a great run in Miami and have it be a real difficult decision.

“If I have a difficult decision like that, it’s a good problem to have. I always prefer to have those.”

The Chilean team, announced Monday, was also no surprise. Though four players were named, only two are expected to play: Fernando Gonzalez and Nicolas Massu.

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Pete Sampras will be playing for the Newport Beach Breakers in World Team Tennis. The season starts July 6.

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Former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt of Australia is now scheduled to play in the Countywide Classic, July 24-30, at the Los Angeles Tennis Center at UCLA, according to organizers.