If it's Davis Cup time, U.S. can rely on power quartet

Against Sweden, the U.S. is again going with the quartet of Mike and Bob Bryan, James Blake and Andy Roddick in the Davis semis. Daniel Sannum Lauten/AFP/Getty Images

In the past few months, I've written numerous blogs about playing Fed Cup -- what it's like to play for your country, the passion that goes along with playing and how different it is than anything else we experience on tour.

Starting Friday, it's the men's turn in Davis Cup play: the semifinals between Russia and Germany, and the other semis between the U.S. and Sweden. There are other ties being played all over the world, too -- the World Group playoffs for 2008 involve 16 other countries -- but the focus will be on the four semifinalists.

Andy Roddick, James Blake, Bob and Mike Bryan. These four names have become synonymous with Davis Cup in this country. Every tie that comes around on the calendar, these four guys raise their hands and say "Pick me" to captain Patrick McEnroe.

It doesn't matter how tired they are, what huge tournament may be around the corner or whether it fits in their schedule. All that matters is that they are members of the U.S. Davis Cup team, a squad that has stuck together for the past few years with the common goal of bringing the Cup back home.

Compare that to the women's side and what we've had to deal with in the Fed Cup. All of our captains have had to beg, plead and practically give their birth right away in order to get a dream team like that to play for the U.S. on a consistent basis.

Why is it such a struggle for the top women in our country to commit to playing on a consistent basis? Is it the old story that men and women are just different? Are men better team players than women? Are they less selfish? Or do they just get it?

Maybe these guys just have a better concept of team, putting personal agendas aside to play for something so much bigger than them. Each guy in this fearsome foursome is a superstar in his own right. They certainly don't need the attention, the money or the notoriety. But time and time again, they rise to the occasion and, like brothers, band together to represent their country.

Don't get me wrong, there are some names that have shined in the past decade as far as representing the U.S. in Fed Cup play on a consistent basis. Kudos to Venus Williams for stepping up the way she has in the past few years, making herself available even after winning a Slam or coming back from an injury.

Both Lindsay Davenport and Mary Jo Fernandez were staples for the U.S. in the late '90s and early '00s, and we could count on other top players here and there. But we've never really been able to count on the same four players to play each and every tie.

The guys have their team. What a nice feeling for McEnroe to always know that he can rely on those four men to step up each time Davis Cup rolls around. Let's not look past the fact of what an advantage it is to have the same foursome every time, to build camaraderie and friendship.

McEnroe has said that the greatest asset of his team is its enthusiasm for playing in Davis Cup. If the U.S. is successful in bringing home the title for the first time in 12 years, it'll likely be because these guys know what it means to play as a team. Any coach in any sport can appreciate that. And we should, too.

Five-time women's doubles Grand Slam winner Lisa Raymond writes for SI.com every other week.