Thanks for the kind note. Let’s put it this way with respect to Croatia: Facing Spain in the finals would be a very, very nice problem to have. Nadal and Federer know the drill well: When you get to the championship round of an event, you’re going to have to face someone really tough. It’s the nature of sports, tennis included.

Best of luck against the Czechs. My father was born in Czechoslovakia, but with a headcase like Berdych and a weirdo like Stepanek, I can’t say I’m emotionally invested in the Czech team. In international competitions of all sorts, I will generally root for the nation that will gain more of a psychological uplift from victory, and derive more meaning from the experience. This principle holds unless I have a strong, pre-existing personal preference for one nation based on other specific reasons.