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Only Davis Cup can bring Campozano to the hall

The Ecuadorian plays mostly on the clay, and in his last match on the concrete has won only a single game. Although the Swiss, too, plays mainly challengers, he does best on hard courts

It was known, or at least assumed that there would be no Federer. If nothing else, the best Swiss player never hesitated with his decisions. This meant that Wawrinka will have Chiudinelli at his side, with whom the last time he played the longest doubles match in the history of this competition. The last set ended 24-22 for the Czechs, and for Chiudinelli it was the third doubles defeat in Davis Cup.

Although he played many of of the so called "dead" matches in this competition, meaning those which did not influence the final result (such as the victory against Ferrer), he has a weak record in "live" matches. He beat Verdasco six years ago, and after that lost three such matches. However, he did not have a chance like this for a long time, although the Swiss selector dreams about the day when Federer plays an entire Davis Cup season:

- Perhaps we even have the best national team, but it is rarely together. This is why we have to beat Ecuador and hope that Federer plays the next season. If we earn the opportunity, perhaps he would give us a chance.

Chiudinelli handles the conditions inside well, and after Wimbledon he played two challenger semi-finals on the concrete. This is not a flashing result, but is still much more than what Campozano did. The best ranked Ecuadorian is barely in the top 300 and mostly plays on the clay. At the beginning of the season he played on hard courts because of the Australian Open, but afterwards played only a single challenger on the concrete. In the second round of his local challenger he won barely a game against the little known Marcelo Arevalo.

- I am very happy that I am here and it is a great honor to play for Ecuador. This is the first time I am playing as the first seed, which means a lot to me - said Campozano and then opined on the chances of his national team:

- I think that I will be playing a key match on the first day, because Gomes plays Wawrinka. I have heard a lot about Chiudinelli. We have never played against each other, but he plays challengers, just as I do. A lot of my friends gave me advice and I am looking forward to the match.

Campozano did not play for more than a month, but did not comment on the reasons. In his words, the best player he played against was Volandri, which says enough about the level he plays at. If the match were taking place on the clay, perhaps he would be able to provide some kind of resistance, but inside on the concrete it will be very difficult - although Chiudinelli plays challengers, just as he does.  

Ecuador doesn't stand a chance in Switzerland and anything but a 3-0 result for the Swiss after the first two days would be a surprise. Campozano has not played a tournament match in over a month, even though he didn't reveal why. He mostly plays on clay and very, very rarely on hard courts. The last time he played on such a surface was in a local challenger, and he won only one game against a considerably weaker opponent than Chiudinelli. Besides that, the only way the Ecuadorian gets to play indoors is during the Davis Cup. Since 2008. he has only played one indoor match, a dead-rubber against Veić in Croatia. I expect the Swiss to win in straight sets, but I have decided to go with the handicap instead because I believe he can cover the spread with one good set. After Wimbledon he has played in two challenger semi-finals on hard courts. Also, he will be relaxed because Wawrinka will surely win the first match of the day. He is definitely better suited for indoor surfaces, and he should definitely win his points with more ease.