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McEnroe to Play Doubles for U.S. Davis Cup Team?

U.S. Davis Cup captain Tom Gullikson is not ruling out the possibility of having John McEnroe play doubles in the World Group match against Britain in April. But he's not enthusiastic about the idea, either. McEnroe, who turns 40 in February, says he is still the best doubles player in the world and deserves a chance to play in the first-round match in Birmingham, England, on April 2-4. "I'd be happy to talk to John, but at his age he's not the future of the Davis Cup," Gullikson was quoted as saying in British newspapers Wednesday. "It's a different game from the seniors. He's still a great player but he played on the tour many years ago and the game has speeded up since then." Gullikson noted that McEnroe has also said he wants to play mixed doubles with Steffi Graf at Wimbledon next summer and is considering running for the presidency of the International Tennis Federation. "He's going to be a busy boy," Gullikson said.

McEnroe, who last played Davis Cup seven years ago, won the seniors event in London last weekend for his fifth straight title and eighth of the year. "I'm in shape and, if seven other guys can't make it, I'm ready (for the Davis Cup)," McEnroe said. "Mind you, I'm not holding my breath. But that doesn't mean that I don't know in my heart that I'm better than the guys who've been playing doubles since I stopped playing."

Tennis Body Mulls Davis Cup Changes

The International Tennis Federation is studying ways to create more interest in the Davis Cup among players and fans, the organization's head said on Sunday. Proposals include cutting matches in early rounds from best-of-5 sets to best-of-3, giving the returning finalist nations first-round byes, and trying to convince the ATP to award rankings points for Davis Cup matches. "Does that get (Pete) Sampras or whoever to play? Believe me, we are looking at the options," said ITF president Brian Tobin, in Milan, Italy for the Davis Cup final, in which Sweden defeated Italy 4-1. It was the first final in the 99-year history of the event without any singles players from the ATP's top 30. Tobin is concerned that matches may be taking too much time. A Swedish television station cut off its broadcast of the five-hour opening singles match Friday with the score 5-5 in the fifth set.

Neither No. 1 Sampras or No. 6 Andre Agassi played in the semifinals, when Italy ousted the United States. Citing personal goals, primarily his pursuit of Roy Emerson's record 12 Grand Slam tournament titles, Sampras has played Davis Cup just once since leading the United States to the 1995 title. "We absolutely congratulate (Sampras) on being No. 1 in the world for the sixth time," Tobin said, "but there's also talk about him trying to match Roy Emerson's record as a tennis player and a tennis champion. I'm not knocking Pete, but just sit back for a minute and have a look at the two records. Pete has 11 Grand Slams and two Davis Cups. Emerson has 12 Grand Slams and eight Davis Cup final wins on his record. So how would you compare the two?" Changes are unlikely before 2001, Tobin said.

Davis Cup Can't Lose its Swedish Accent

Sweden is thinking about a Davis Cup dynasty. Italy, again a loser in a final, is simply in disarray. The countries split Sunday's closing singles matches, which were meaningless after Sweden took a 3-0 lead in the best-of-5 final in Milan the day before to clinch its second consecutive Davis Cup title and third since 1994. "We're looking forward to repeating this win again and making it three straight," said doubles player Jonas Bjorkman. "If we can do that, it would be a great effort. But we have proven that right now Sweden is No. 1." Magnus Gustafsson defeated Italy's Gianluca Pozzi 6-4, 6-2 Sunday, before Diego Nargiso salvaged some pride for the hosts by beating Magnus Norman 6-2, 6-3 to avoid a sweep on the red clay. "Sweden really cares about the Davis Cup," said Italy captain Paolo Bertolucci. "That is certainly a strength."

"We have eight players who competed for Sweden this year," captain Carl-Axel Hageskog said. "That depth, and a unique junior system, is the secret to our success." Sweden handled Italy without using its two best clay-courters. Thomas Johansson, ranked 17th by the ATP, and No. 22 Thomas Enqvist are both injured. In fact, No. 31 Gustafsson was the highest ranking singles player here, making it the first final in the 99-year history of the Davis Cup without anyone from the top 30. Sweden's rich tennis tradition includes former top-ranked stars Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg. While it has no one of that caliber these days -- Edberg's 1992 U.S. Open title was the last Grand Slam victory by a Swede -- the country does consistently produce competitive players who turn out for the Davis Cup.

Sampras Says his Record-Streak at No. 1 Won't be Broken

Pete Sampras is sure that his record of six consecutive years as the world's No. 1 player will never be broken. "I know what it takes to do it and I don't see anyone in today's game having the consistency, having the durability that it takes to be No. 1, not only for one or two years, but for six years," Sampras said in a teleconference Thursday from Los Angeles. Sampras had shared the mark of five successive years at No. 1 with Jimmy Connors, who did it from 1974-78. Sampras needed a closing surge, playing six consecutive weeks in Europe, to hold off Chile's Marcelo Rios. "You need the game, you need the heart, you need the mind," Sampras said. "Some guys have two of three. Some guys have a little of the three, but in order to do it for six years, you need everything."

Despite his record-breaking year, this season was a bit of a disappointment for Sampras. He won only four titles, his fewest since 1991. After winning a record-tying fifth Wimbledon, he remains one away from tying Roy Emerson's record of 12 Grand Slam singles titles.

Last Updated 9/1/98. To contact us, please email to: webmaster@tennisone.com