[MauRapaz]

How did he not technically play for the USA? He played a round of qualifying and USA was next to his name, so he played under the American flag. Seems there are different restrictions for team events, but it is odd to me to be able to represent one country as an individual in an ITF event and one country in a team ITF event :shrug:

Not a team event, so technically not representing anyone but oneself. The country beside the name is merely the country listed in the bio. Doesn't have to be one's only country of citizenship - just the one the player chooses to list. (Olympics are a different animal, since you have to be nominated by your national federation - similar to Davis Cup - and technically even individual athletes are playing for country there. Anywhere else, player plays for himself.)

Pretty sure he has never represented a national team in recognized international competition.

 

[Deboogle!.]

:shrug: It's still strange to me. maybe it's because i'm patriotic and couldn't imagine playing under two different flags depending on the event but it's still odd to me :shrug:

 

[MauRapaz]

:shrug: It's still strange to me. maybe it's because i'm patriotic and couldn't imagine playing under two different flags depending on the event but it's still odd to me :shrug:

It's perfectly normal for an immigrant to be patriotic about both his old and new countries. Especially in this case, since his old country is a far different place than the war-torn country he left as a 14-year-old boy. (Fleeing a war zone does not mean that you don't still love your country - it's just natural self-protection - or that you don't love the country that took you in during your time of need.)

In any event, looks like our buddy is scheduled to play both singles and doubles, with singles matches against Frederico Gil (#83) and Rui Machado (#124). Not easy matches, but let's hope for some good results to boost his confidence for a strong tour comeback!

A win for Bos-Herz (an uphill battle, for sure) would promote the team to Europe/Africa Group I, which would be awesome for national pride in a country still reconciling from an ugly civil war.

 

[MauRapaz]

Our guy lost 9-7 in the fifth. Wow, what a way to lose!

Must have been a great effort though.

 

[partygirl]

Hanging in there 5 sets on clay.
Better than the way the US open went.

 

[Fee]

That was an awesome feat for Amer, to even be on a court that long and survive whether he won or lost.

There was something on his Facebook recently about making a big decision, this must have been what it was. I don't think he can switch back and forth, now that he has played Davis Cup for Bosnia, I believe that will be listed by the ATP as his represented country. It is entirely possible that he played Qualies for the USO and then made the decision to play DC. Since he had never played DC or anything else for the US, it seems the rules allowed him to switch that quickly.

So where does his player forum go now?

 

[Fee]

:shrug: It's still strange to me. maybe it's because i'm patriotic and couldn't imagine playing under two different flags depending on the event but it's still odd to me :shrug:

Well of course it is, your life experience is completely different than Amer's, you've grown up in the same region of the same country and lived there for most of your life, right?

I am of dual heritage, and could have two passports if I wanted to deal with the hassle (other members of my family do). Not that I ever posessed any talent that required me to make such a decision, but I could see myself being an athlete for England or the US (or maybe even Ireland) if that choice was presented to me. I have very emotional attachments to both countries, have lived in both, have family in both. I think I'm still more suprised that Haas switched than I am that Amer switched.

 

[Deboogle!.]

I wasn't saying he shouldn't switch, he can do whatever he wants. I wasn't juding him at all, just that it is odd to me for someone to represent two different countries depending on whether it's an individual event or a team event. If it's not strange to you, that's fine :shrug:

 

[Fee]

I wasn't saying he shouldn't switch, he can do whatever he wants. I wasn't juding him at all, just that it is odd to me for someone to represent two different countries depending on whether it's an individual event or a team event. If it's not strange to you, that's fine :shrug:

I don't think that is what he is doing, I don't think the ATP or the ITF allows that. When you declare for a country, you have to stick with it, not switch back and forth from week to week (I'm far too lazy and apathetic to go looking in the rulebook). I think he switched after the USO.

 

[Deboogle!.]

I don't think that is what he is doing, I don't think the ATP or the ITF allows that. When you declare for a country, you have to stick with it, not switch back and forth from week to week (I'm far too lazy and apathetic to go looking in the rulebook). I think he switched after the USO.

ah ok. that wasn't what a previous poster suggested, which is why I made my original posts.


Anyway, it sounds like it was quite a rough weekend for him but hopefully his knee held up ok.

 

[MauRapaz]

ah ok. that wasn't what a previous poster suggested, which is why I made my original posts.


Anyway, it sounds like it was quite a rough weekend for him but hopefully his knee held up ok.

I researched before my first post. (It's really not that hard.) He has never represented either of his nationalities in international competition, so he was a "free agent", if you will. DC rules require an application be submitted to the ITF and the other home tennis federation 6 months in advance, so this was at least a possibility for a while. And per Davis Cup rules:

34.(c) A player shall be deemed to have represented a country if he shall have been
nominated, and shall have accepted, the nomination to play in the Olympic
Games Tennis Event or in any International Team Competition recognised by
the ITF and listed in Bye-Law 2.1(a).

Now he is committed to BIH, unless he doesn't represent them for 3 full years, in which case he would be eligible to switch. Incidentally, he is now listed on the ATP website as being from BIH.

In any event, enough of the legalistic stuff. Glad he played so well (near miss) in Portugal, and wish him all the best next week in Sacramento!!!

 

[Deboogle!.]

The point is, once he switched, he switched. He's not going to enter ATP events under the USA and ITF events under BIH, which is what I didn't understand. That's what didn't make sense to me. Maybe I misunderstood your original post(s) in the first place. Anyway, as long as he's healthy, it really doesn't matter.

 

[Fee]

He's entered in the Sacramento Challenger under the BIH designation, so it's a done deal for real. But I don't want them to move his player forum, he should stay here. (And they haven't moved Haas yet so...)

 

[Ad Wim]

Great straight sets win yesterday, against in form Nishikori. His comeback is taking shape, now he has to go deep in a tournament to get his ranking going.

 

[wee]

Good luck to him!

 

[Ad Wim]

Amer not playing Australia? Saw he pulled out of Aus Open qualis. Maybe he is starting in Honolulu.

 

[Deboogle!.]

he tweeted a comment a few days ago about his knee not cooperating

 

[cobalt60]

he tweeted a comment a few days ago about his knee not cooperating

Le sigh He ain't getting any younger.

 

[Deboogle!.]

yeah

http://twitter.com/#!/AmerDelic/status/20149710094344193
http://twitter.com/#!/AmerDelic/status/21920063867060224

 

[Ad Wim]

Damn!

And I don't see him in Honolulu EL either...