By Alberto Amalfi
© Natasha Peterson/Corleve

(September 19, 2010) Mardy Fish's shirt was streaked with blood, his right hand was gashed his shoes and socks were littered with red clay. Fish looked like he had spent the past four hours mud wrestling with a pack of pit bulls, but on this day Fish would not give up the fight. Down 5-6 in the fifth set, a resilient Fish completed an inspired week with a determined comeback, scoring a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 4-6, 8-6 to clinch the United States' Davis Cup win over Colombia and send the USA back to the Davis Cup World Group.

Fish's victory gave the Americans an insurmountable 3-1 lead in the best-of-five match series played in 8,626-feet altitude of Bogota. The victory means the USA returns to the Davis Cup World Group in 2011.

"A lot of work and a lot of sacrifice went into this," Fish said. "A year ago today I wouldn't have been able to do this. I fought as hard as I could."

It was a heroic effort from Fish, who played 14 sets of tennis over a 72-hour period, including two five-set singles wins, to account for all three points for the USA. Fish is the first American man to account for all three points in a Davis Cup victory since Pete Sampras in the 1995 Davis Cup final in Moscow.

"I could have gone either way," said Fish, who showed his sportsmanship in class in applauding the crowd after the match. "I won two five-setters so we were lucky to win."

A streamlined Fish shed nearly 30 pounds in the offseason after undergoing knee surgery last September and he showed his strength and stamina in winning three consecutive games to close out a four hour, five-minute victory.

"Mardy has great variety in his game," U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe said. "He can adapt to the situation and go to his toolbox as needed. All during the match, I told him to think about the sacrifice and hard work that he has put in over the ten months."

Fish set the tone for this weekend's tie, gutting out a dramatic 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Alejandro Falla that gave the United States a 1-0 lead over the host on Friday. World No. 61 Giraldo crushed Sam Querrey, 6-2, 6-4, 7-5, to level the tie at 1-1.

"It was a gutsy mental effort by Mardy today," said McEnroe. "It goes to show what being fit means."

Serving at 5-all in the fifth set today, Fish was flat-footed when Giraldo fired an inside-out forehand winner to earn break point.

On the 10th shot of the ensuing rally, Fish's backhand down the line strayed wide as Giraldo raised his fist breaking for 6-5. 

Serving for the match, Giraldo put a backhand into net to drop to 30-all. Giraldo, who was spinning his serve in for match of the match missed a first serve. On the second, Fish stepped into the court, drilled a backhand return off the top of the tape. The ball landed inside the sideline and Giraldo's forehand missed the mark, giving Fish a break point. On the sixth shot of the next rally, Giraldo netted a forehand as Fish broke back for 6-6.

The momentum shifted again as Giraldo ripped a forehand pass down the line for break point. The Colombian netted a backhand but gained another break on another forehand pass down the line.

Undeterred, Fish pounced on a mid-court ball and blasted a backhand with such force, Giraldo lost his Babolat racquet flinging himself in vain at a retrieval. Two errors from Giraldo enabled Fish to complete a hard-fought hold for 7-6.

Continuing to force the issue against the Bogota baseliner, Fish angled an acute backhand volley winner to reach 0-30. When Giraldo sent a forehand long Fish had two match points prompting USTA president Lucy Garvin to leap out of her seat in anticipation. When Giraldo's forehand sailed long, Fish had his third victory of the weekend and the USA was back in the World Group as McEnroe, coaching his final Davis Cup tie, hugged Fish in appreciation.

"It was very tough and it was a lot of fun to come down here," Fish said. "We have a great time in Bogota."

Though Fish had lost two of his last three Davis Cup singles matches contested on red clay, he arrived in  Bogota knowing he could deliver on a red clay court on foreign soil. Seven years ago today, the United States was facing relegation when Andy Roddick, days after winning the US Open, lost the opening match to Dominik Hrbaty in the Slovak Republic. Fish followed with one of the biggest wins of his career at the point, defeating Karol Kucera,  4-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-1, to help ignite a 3-2 victory in Bratislava.

Fish returned to action on Saturday, partnering John Isner to post a 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3 victory over Colombia's Robert Farah and Carlos Salamanca.

Showing the depths of his desire at 1-all in the fourth set, Fish went airborne, diving across the clay for a forehand volley and scrambling to his feet. He cut the back of his right hand on tha tumbling volley and blood splattered across the front of his white shirt as Fish, using a surprise serve-and-volley play on a second serve, earned a hard-fought hold for 2-1.

The counter-punching Giraldo, who played a steady baseline game, broke for a 3-2 fourth set lead when Fish lost the rhythm on his serve. Giraldo made the break stand up, leveling the match when Fish pushed a backhand pass into the net.