Reopening wounds
Cash: Philippoussis 'despised' Davis Cup captain
Posted: Monday January 18, 1999 10:06 AM
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Mark Philippoussis (above) feels that he was never respected by Davis Cup captain John Newcombe AP |
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- A shaky truce between two camps in Australia's Davis Cup team is again under pressure after coach Pat Cash said Mark Philippoussis "despised" captain John Newcombe.
Australian officials have been hoping desperately that last year's upheavals would be overcome when Philippoussis agreed to return to the Cup team, albeit initially only for the first round tie against Zimbabwe in Harare in April.
But Cash, a part-time coach to Philippoussis, reopened recently patched wounds with an attack on Newcombe in a television interview broadcast Monday.
Cash said Philippoussis had no respect for Newcombe and he believed Newcombe did not respect Philippoussis, who was beaten by countryman Pat Rafter in last year's all-Australian U.S. Open final.
"I think it takes a lot of guts for a guy like Mark to go Zimbabwe, go away from home, and be sitting down on the court with a captain who clearly doesn't respect him and he doesn't respect the captain," said Cash, the 1987 Wimbledon champion.
"But he's going to put all that aside, do the training, do the work that's asked of him and sit down on the court and win for your country when you despise the person next to you."
Philippoussis angered his former Cup teammates last April when he arrived to watch the first round loss to Zimbabwe having already declined to play because of what he considered to be a lack of support from Newcombe and cup coach Tony Roche.
Philippoussis was further angered and perceived a slight when Roche sat with Rafter's support group at the U.S. Open final last September.
Philippoussis has himself made it clear he has not made peace with Newcombe and Roche on a personal level.
He was recently in GQ magazine as saying of the Cup tie: "We get on the court, play the match, we win and I leave. I've got nothing to do with Newcombe and I've got nothing to do with Roche."
Cash said criticism of Philippoussis by Newcombe sounded familiar because Newcombe had done the same to him during his career.
"I don't think there'd be a week gone by 10-15 years ago when John Newcombe didn't say something very negative about me. It just seems to be coming back on Mark," Cash said.
"I'm not saying some of it isn't fair criticism but it's a constant barrage which unfortunately makes it very difficult for someone to enjoy their life in tennis."
Homecoming feel for Seles
Monica Seles' return to the Australian Open feels like a journey home.
The former No.1, now ranked No.4, has a peerless record in the year's first Grand Slam tournament having won all 28 matches she's played. That adds up to four titles from four attempts, the most recent in 1996.
Seles says the reason she plays so well here is that she feels comfortable off the court.
"I guess I love the country," she said. "I have some friends here so it's always nice when I get to come. I don't always feel like I'm at a tournament."
Seles admits her unbeaten run will come under fierce pressure this year.
"I'd put this year up with 1991. That was one of the toughest ones and everyone was here. The women's field is open with a lot of chances to win it and I think that's great."
Seles beat Jana Novotna, seeded No. 3 here, in 1991, Mary Joe Fernandez in '92, Steffi Graf in '93 and Anke Huber in '96.
Aiming for the summit
Pete Sampras wore himself out in successfully shoring up the No.1 spot for a sixth straight year late in 1998.
Sampras' exertions ruled him out of the Australian Open and left several players with a chance of knocking him off the top perch.
It's the first time Sampras has missed a Slam after 27 appearances and the first time since Bjorn Borg skipped the Australian in 1981 that a No.1 ranked player has missed a Grand Slam.
With Sampras absent, five other top players -- Alex Corretja, Pat Rafter, Carlos Moya and Andre Agassi -- have a mathematical chance of passing him. Of those, the recent form of Corretja and Rafter hardly points to a successful fortnight. A sixth, top seed Marcelo Rios dropped out after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in one of his vertebrae which will sideline the Chilean for at least four weeks.
Corretja took four hours to overcome Japan's Takao Suzuki in five sets in his first-round match Monday. Rafter bounced back from a 1-2 record in his three matches this year ahead of the Open with a straight-sets victory in the first round over German Oliver Gross.
Teen spirit
Australia's world junior champion Jelena Dokic is the latest young player upset at rules restricting her from taking a full role on the women's tour.
Dokic, 15, beat Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, the Spaniard ranked No.4, in the Hopman Cup teams tournament earlier this month.
She will contest the Australian Open, but the rules restrict her to eight senior tournaments until her 16th birthday in April and then restricted to 10 events for the following 12 months.
Dokic has won some support from No.2 Martina Hingis, who came through the ranks before the rule was set by the WTA.
"That rule is not good, everyone should get the same chance if they can play that level," said Hingis. "If you go out and get beaten early you still have five days to recover. It's not very fair to those players who have the level and can't compete."
Hingis said burnout could occur at any age.
"You still can get burnt out at 22, it still can still affect you if you have the wrong people around you."
Hingis believes young players could be better equipped to cope with the senior tour than the older players.
"The younger you are the easier it is to play tennis and travel. You don't have injuries and you can recover quickly," Hingis said.
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