I'm just too good to retire, says triumphant
Woodbridge
Sat 29 November, 2003 06:51
By Greg Stutchbury
MELBOURNE, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Todd Woodbridge played down rumours of imminent
retirement after helping Australia to a 2-1 lead against Spain in the Davis Cup
final on Saturday, saying he was simply playing too well to quit.
"I said that if we won then I'd think about it," the record-breaking 32-year-old
said after he and Wayne Arthurs beat Alex Corretja and Feliciano Lopez 6-3 6-1
6-3,
"I still want to play next year and it is pretty hard to stop when I'm playing
so well, so there may be a few more tournament wins out there.
"I've only played as well as I did today once or twice in Wimbledon finals."
His words were greeted by loud cheering from the crowd. Moments before
Woodbridge had embraced Arthurs, captain John Fitzgerald and the rest of the
Australian team after their success.
It was a special occasion for Woodbridge, who was playing his 29th Davis Cup
tie, beating the previous Australian record of 28 held by Adrian Quist. He also
extended his Australian record to 23 Davis Cup doubles victories.
"I've been concentrating on doubles since 2001 to try and break the records," he
added, "but I consider that I should be playing both singles and doubles."
"I'm very proud of it (the appearances' record). I have been lucky that I have
had a long career without injury and that's one of the reasons why I have set
it.
"But I have also turned up whenever I can to play for Australia."
Woodbridge and Arthurs were dominant from the beginning.
"I felt really good in the pre-match warmup and then again when we were out
there for the warmup," he went on.
"I also said to Wayne before he served 'this feels really good'...I think I
missed only two balls and hit a whole heap of winners.
Woodbridge has eight doubles titles from the grasscourt Grand Slam, the majority
of which came from his long-lasting partnership with compatriot Mark Woodforde.
The "Woodies", as they were known, became the most successful doubles
partnership in history, winning 61 titles including 11 Grand Slams and Olympic
gold in 1996 and silver in 2000. Woodforde retired that year.
Woodbridge stopped playing singles after Wimbledon at 2001, concentrating on
doubles with new partner Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman, finishing the year as the
number one doubles partnership on the ATP tour.
In 2003 they won four doubles titles including the Wimbledon and U.S. Open
titles, and Woodbridge tied Tom Okker's mark for most career doubles titles in
the open era with 78.
----------------------------------------------------
Doubles victory helps rid Arthurs of Davis Cup demons
Sat 29 November, 2003 07:06
By Greg Stutchbury
MELBOURNE, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Australia's Wayne Arthurs put a two-year-old bad
dream behind him on Saturday when he and doubles partner Todd Woodbridge
trounced Spain's Alex Corretja and Feliciano Lopez in the Davis Cup final for a
2-1 lead.
In 2001 a disconsolate Arthurs cut a sorry figure as he sat court-side in tears
after losing the fifth and deciding rubber to Frenchman Nicolas Escude in the
Davis Cup final on the same grass court in Melbourne.
Arthurs had been a late replacement for the injured Patrick Rafter.
The loss on that final day was even more bitter for Arthurs.
He and Woodbridge had been substituted at the last minute in the doubles a day
earlier by Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt, who went on to lose to Cedric Pioline and
Fabrice Santoro in four sets to give France a 2-1 lead heading into the reverse
singles.
"I was crying," Arthurs recalled. "In tennis you go through a lot of emotions
and that's probably the lowest I've felt.
"Today is probably one of the highest I felt on the court," he added of his and
Woodbridge's 6-3 6-1 6-3 victory on Saturday.
Australia captain John Fitzgerald, who made that 2001 decision to swap the more
established Arthurs and Woodbridge for specialist singles players Hewitt and
Rafter, was full of praise on Saturday.
"I said on the court, and I meant this from the heart, Todd has mastered the
game of doubles, he really has and today I called him a little maestro. He
really is.
"Wayne has come so far in the last two years. He has improved out of sight and
he and Todd, right now I think, are the best doubles team in the world.
"To have them play so well all year has just been an inspiration."
----------------------------------------------------
Australians out of this world, says Corretja
Sat 29 November, 2003 07:42
MELBOURNE, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Australian doubles combination Todd Woodbridge and
Wayne Arthurs played the Davis Cup final against Spain as if they were from
another planet, Alex Corretja said on Saturday.
Corretja and Davis Cup debutant Feliciano Lopez were blown off the grasscourt at
Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena 6-3 6-1 6-3 to give the host nation a 2-1 lead
before Sunday's reverse singles.
"They played a high level of tennis," said Corretja through an interpreter at a
news conference. "For us it was like playing against (people) from another
planet."
Corretja said he and Lopez, who replaced 2002 French Open champion Albert Costa
in the squad because of his better record on grass, were never in the match.
"Right from the start we were able to gauge the opponent's superiority. They
played brilliantly."
Spanish captain Jordi Arrese added: "We always felt from the start that this
would be our hardest day and it was proven so.
"Woodbridge was very impressive today and Arthurs matched his standard... when
one has won eight Wimbledon titles (Woodbridge), that doesn't happen by chance."
----------------------------------------------------
Australia seize control of Davis Cup final
Sat 29 November, 2003 07:45
By Julian Linden
MELBOURNE, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Australia seized control of the Davis Cup final
against Spain on Saturday with a crushing victory in the doubles rubber.
Wayne Arthurs and Todd Woodbridge gave a near-perfect demonstration to beat Alex
Corretja and Feliciano Lopez 6-3 6-1 6-3 and provide Australia with a 2-1 lead
heading into Sunday's concluding reverse singles.
The result left Australia tantalisingly close to claiming the Davis Cup for the
28th time.
There have been only six occasions since the Davis Cup was first contested in
1900 that a team has lost after leading 2-1.
"It's a great position to be in but there is still a mood of reservation, there
is definitely no celebration in our locker room tonight," Australia's
non-playing captain John Fitzgerald said.
"There is a long way to go, there really is. These players are too good to take
lightly."
HARDEST DAY
The Spanish, who won the Davis Cup for the first time two years ago by beating
Australia on Barcelona red clay, have not given up hope of winning yet but know
they face a difficult task.
"We always felt from the start that today was going to be the hardest day for us
and that was proven," Spanish captain Jordi Arrese said.
"We just have to have faith and trust in our players that we can improve."
Spain defied their poor record on grass to split Friday's opening singles but
still look to have their work cut out to win both matches on Sunday.
French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero needs to beat Wimbledon runner-up Mark
Philippoussis in the first rubber of the day to keep the tie alive.
If he does, the title will come down to the final match between Carlos Moya and
Lleyton Hewitt, last year's Wimbledon champion.
Hewitt staged a mighty comeback to beat Ferrero in five sets on Friday before
Moya levelled the tie by upsetting a nervous Philippoussis.
Fitzgerald said he expected Philippoussis to bounce back from his loss to Moya
when he confronts Ferrero.
"You'll see a different player out there on Sunday," Fitzgerald said.
"I promise you, this guy tries his heart out every time he goes onto the court."
NO CHALLENGE
Woodbridge and Arthurs were never seriously challenged by their Spanish
opponents as they cruised to victory in about an hour and a half.
The Australian pair hardly raised a sweat on a hot and a sunny day at Melbourne
Park's Rod Laver Arena with a dazzling display of shots and doubles play.
Already one of the greatest doubles players of all time with eight Wimbledon
championships, Woodbridge was in magnificent touch, tormenting the Spanish with
his accurate ground strokes and cleverly disguised lobs.
It was already a special occasion for Woodbridge who was playing his 29th Davis
Cup tie, beating the previous Australian record of 28 held by Adrian Quist, and
his performance made it one to cherish.
He and Arthurs were also able to erase the bitter disappointment from the 2001
Davis Cup final, which they lost at home to France.
Fitzgerald gambled and lost when he dumped his proven combination for Hewitt and
Patrick Rafter on the morning of the doubles match.
The plan backfired in spectacular fashion as France went on to win the title and
Fitzgerald has stuck to doubles specialists ever since.
"Todd has mastered the art of doubles," Fitzgerald said.
"He was a maestro and Wayne Arthurs has come a long way over the last two years.
"Realistically ... they are probably the best doubles combination in the world
right now."
Australia vs Spain 2-1
Wayne Arthurs and Todd Woodbridge gave Australia a 2-1 lead when they defeated
Spain's Alex Corretja and Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 in the Davis Cup final
in Melbourne on Saturday. 32-year-old Woodbridge has now competed in as many as
29 Davis Cup ties in his career.
The Aussies are now only one victory away from winning Davis Cup for the 28th
time since joining the competition in 1905, and in Sunday's first match,
Wimbledon finalist Mark Mark Philippoussis takes on Roland Garros champion Juan
Carlos Ferrero.
Wayne Arthurs/Todd Woodbridge (AUS) d Alex Corretja/Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 63 61
63
* Following Saturday's win, Todd Woodbridge became the Australian player with
the most appearances in Davis Cup, 29. No. 2 is Adrian Quist, who played in 28
ties in his career.
* Woodbridge is also the Australian player that has won the most doubles
matches, 23.
* Australia, who debuted in Davis Cup in 1905, is looking to lift the Davis Cup
trophy for the 28th time. Their most recent victory came in 1999, when they
defeated France 3-2 in the final. They last time they Aussies encountered a loss
in a Davis Cup final was against France in 2001.
* Spain has lifted the Davis Cup trophy once, after defeating Australia in
Barcelona in 2000.
* The Spanish have come back from a 1-2 deficit on nine occasions in the past,
most recently against Brazil in April 1998.
* Only two countries, Russia in 2002 and Australia in 1977, have won Davis Cup
after losing the doubles.
----------------------------------------------------
Australia takes 2-1 lead in Davis Cup final
By DENNIS PASSA, Associated Press Writer
November 29, 2003
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- Todd Woodbridge and Wayne Arthurs gave Australia a
2-1 lead in the Davis Cup tennis final, beating Spain's Feliciano Lopez and Alex
Corretja 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 in doubles Saturday.
The title will be decided on Sunday when Mark Philippoussis takes on Juan Carlos
Ferrero in the first reverse singles, followed by Lleyton Hewitt's match with
Carlos Moya.
Hewitt gave Australia a 1-0 lead with a five-set win Friday over Ferrero while
Moya beat Philippoussis in four sets to level the final after the first day.
Arthurs and Woodbridge, playing in their sixth Davis Cup match, broke Correjta's
serve in the fourth game of the opening set to go up 3-1. Lopez, playing in his
first Davis Cup match, had only played one previous doubles match with Corretja.
The Australian pair broke Corretja again in the third game of the second set. At
the end of the set, Corretja took an injury timeout to have a sore shoulder
worked on by medical officials, but it only delayed the inevitable as Australia
took the match easily in just over 80 minutes.
Woodbridge's appearance set a record for matches in the nation's 84-year Davis
Cup history. It was Woodbridge's 29th Davis Cup event for Australia, breaking
the mark of 28 set by Adrian Quist between 1933 and 1939.
Woodbridge began his Davis Cup career in 1991 for Australia and has a record of
26-10 -- 23-6 in doubles and 3-4 in singles.
``I was calm and really focussed, and I had a lot of confidence in Wayne,''
Woodbridge said of Saturday's match.
This year, Woodbridge won his 78th doubles title on the ATP tour, equaling Tom
Okker of the Netherlands for most career doubles titles since the start of the
Open Era in 1968.
On Saturday, officials at Rod Laver Arena played the correct Spanish national
anthem, a day after they played an outdated one that had Spanish officials
fuming.
Spain's Sports Minister Juan Antonio Gomez-Angulo waved furiously and yelled
from the stands when the anthem was played. The correct anthem was then played,
and was repeated Saturday without a problem.
Spain beat Belgium in the first round of this year's competition, then defeated
Croatia and Argentina to advance to the final. Australia won its opening match
against Britain, then defeated Sweden before a semifinal win over Switzerland.
Australia has won the Davis Cup 27 times, four behind the leading United States.
Spain's only win came in 2000 against Australia.
----------------------------------------------------
Davis Cup: Australia takes 2-1 lead in final
By DENNIS PASSA, Associated Press Writer
November 29, 2003
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- They played the correct national anthem at the
Davis Cup final Saturday. After that, it was all downhill for Spain.
The established Australian doubles team of Todd Woodbridge and Wayne Arthurs
easily beat Spain's Feliciano Lopez and Alex Corretja 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 to give
Australia a 2-1 lead going into Sunday's reverse singles matches on grass at Rod
Laver Arena.
Before Saturday's match, Australian officials played the current Spanish
national anthem, trying to reverse an embarrassing gaffe at the opening ceremony
when an outdated one was played.
On Friday, Spanish officials were furious in the stands while the old version
was played by a lone trumpeter -- Australian jazz legend James Morrison. They
later demanded and received an apology from Australian officials, who admitted
they gave Morrison the wrong anthem to learn.
On Saturday, the Spanish players stood quietly while the current anthem was
played. Minutes later, Corretja had his service broken for the first time and
the Australian rout was on, giving the capacity crowd of just under 15,000 only
82 minutes of tennis.
The title will be decided on Sunday when Mark Philippoussis takes on Juan Carlos
Ferrero in the first reverse singles, followed by Lleyton Hewitt's match with
Carlos Moya.
Hewitt gave Australia a 1-0 lead with a five-set win Friday over Ferrero while
Moya beat Philippoussis in four sets to level the final after the first day.
Arthurs and Woodbridge, playing in their sixth Davis Cup match, broke Corretja's
serve in the fourth game of the opening set to go up 3-1. Lopez, playing in his
first Davis Cup match, had only played one previous doubles match with Corretja.
The Australian pair broke Corretja again in the third game of the second set. At
the end of the set, Corretja took an injury timeout to have a sore shoulder
worked on by medical officials, but it only delayed the inevitable as Australia
won the match easily.
Woodbridge's appearance set a record for matches in the nation's 84-year Davis
Cup history. It was Woodbridge's 29th Davis Cup event for Australia, breaking
the mark of 28 set by Adrian Quist between 1933 and 1939.
``I was calm and really focused, and I had a lot of confidence in Wayne,''
Woodbridge said of Saturday's match. ``I missed about two balls and that doesn't
happen very often.''
Australian captain John Fitzgerald said the Australian duo were nearly flawless.
``That was up there with the best of them,'' he said. ``In sporting parlance,
Todd has mastered the art of doubles. He's a little maestro.''
This year, Woodbridge won his 78th doubles title on the ATP tour, equaling Tom
Okker of the Netherlands for most career doubles titles since the start of the
Open Era in 1968.
Corretja said he had a feeling Spain was in for a long day.
``We knew from the first point,'' Corretja said. ``They played brilliantly. They
were from another planet.''
Fitzgerald said his team can take some confidence from the easy win into
Sunday's remaining matches.
``You can take a lot of positive feelings away as a team when a part of it is
playing that well,'' he said. ``But there is a mood of reservation, and no
celebration in our locker room. There is a long way to go, these players are too
good.''
Spain beat Belgium in the first round of this year's competition, then defeated
Croatia and Argentina to advance to the final. Australia won its opening match
against Britain, then defeated Sweden before a semifinal win over Switzerland.
Australia has won the Davis Cup 27 times, four behind the leading United States.
Spain's only win came in 2000 against Australia in Barcelona.
----------------------------------------------------
Australia Seizes Advantage
Australia will take a 2-1 lead into Sunday in the final of the 2003 Davis Cup by
BNP Paribas, after Wayne Arthurs and Todd Woodbridge demolished Alex Corretja
and Feliciano Lopez 63 61 63 in just 1 hour 34 minutes.
Today was all about records, redemption and revenge. Todd Woodbridge - clearly
the outstanding player on court - took sole possession of the Australian record
for the number of ties contested, 29, by appearing in this match, while Wayne
Arthurs exorcised his personal demons in emphatic fashion on the same court
where he had lost the deciding rubber in the final against France two years ago.
“That was the probably the lowest I have felt on a tennis court,” said Arthurs
of that loss, “while today is probably one of the highest.”
And for the Australian crowd, orchestrated by the colourful hard-core supporters
group the ‘Fanatics’, it was revenge over the Spanish and Alex Corretja in
particular. Although the players have been side-stepping the issue for most of
the week, sections of the Australian crowd clearly had not forgotten what they
perceived as unfair treatment that the Australians received at the hands of the
fans at the Barcelona final in 2000, and which they felt was orchestrated by
Corretja.
Chants were frequently directed against the Spaniard, and at one stage an
inflatable dummy dressed in a Spanish shirt was tossed around by the Fanatics.
However, it was all reasonably good-natured and stopped short of becoming
vindictive.
“The supporters were doing their job, they certainly did not accept me but I
thought it was OK,” said Corretja diplomatically later. He had been putting a
case in his defence in the Australian papers this morning, but it had obviously
had little effect.
The Australians meanwhile claimed not to have heard any of the barracking, so
focused were they on the job in hand.
“I’m a typical male, I can only think about one thing at a time,” said
Australian Captain John Fitzgerald.
Despite this backdrop to the match, nothing could overshadow the remarkable play
of Woodbridge today, who showed just why he has won eight men’s doubles titles
on Wimbledon’s grass. His forehand in particular was a major weapon, with
Feliciano Lopez often caught out at the net by the power and accuracy of the
shot.
“I think I’ve played a couple of Wimbledon finals where I’ve played that
standard,” said Woodbridge. “But when you look at the pressure and the
situation, this is probably the outstanding one.”
He said that he had felt great even from the warm-up today, and it only took the
Australian pairing until the fourth game to break Alex Corretja’s opening
service to love. From then on it was one-way traffic, the second set in
particular a stroll for the hosts . They broke Corretja again for 2-1 in that
set, a flashing topspin lob from Arthurs sealing the break and demonstrating
that he was providing more than able assistance to Woodbridge.
The second set was lost 6-1 and the Spaniards found themselves two sets down in
less than an hour. Corretja took a toilet break and then a medical time out for
a timely injury to his right shoulder, but Arthurs and Woodbridge were unfased
by the interruptions.
They went on to break Lopez with the tall left-hander serving at 2-3 in the
third set. Even so, Lopez acquitted himself well in his first Davis Cup rubber,
although he did look slightly out of position playing in the deuce court as a
left-hander. It was more a matter of the Australians playing too well, operating
as a team clearly used to playing together, and making the Spanish pairing’s
lack of experience – this was their first tie together and only their fifth
match in total – all too apparent.
But, as both camps acknowledged afterwards, it was unlikely that any pair,
Spanish or otherwise, could have lived with Arthurs and Woodbridge in this form.
The Australians closed out the set 6-3, with Woodbridge fittingly serving out
the match. Their joy and relief was clear for all to see at the end.
“To have them play so well all year has just been an inspiration, so I want to
thank them both publicly,” said Fitzgerald of his charges, whom he views as the
best doubles partnership in the world.
“They were from another planet,” agreed Corretja, while Captain Jordi Arrese
said that he felt he had fielded the best Spanish combination available to him.
"We always felt from the start this was going to be our hardest day and it was
proven so. It was the hardest," said Arrese.
Woodbridge has said here that he may retire from Davis Cup competition if
Australia win this tie, but days like this must surely make him reconsider; for
Corretja, it must be the opposite.
The tie has swung in the hosts’ favour now: only two nations have won a Davis
Cup Final after losing the doubles rubber – Australia in 1977 and Russia last
year, so Spain have a tough task to win tomorrow. Indeed, they must win both
singles rubbers, while Australia needs just one point to claim their 28th Davis
Cup title.
However, if there is no change to the line-ups – which seems likely at this
stage – the Spanish can gain comfort from the head to head records. Juan Carlos
Ferrero leads Mark Philippoussis 2-0, while Carlos Moya is 5-3 up on Lleyton
Hewitt.
Both Captains were keen to stress that the tie is far from over.
'As difficult as it was yesterday' was Arrese's view, while Fitzgerald said,
"There is no celebration in our locker room right now."
Play resumes tomorrow at 11:00 local time, with the title of Davis Cup Champion
Nation at stake.
----------------------------------------------------
Australia take Cup lead
Australia have coasted to a 2-1 lead in the Davis Cup final with a commanding
display in the doubles rubber against Spain.
Todd Woodbridge was the star of the match as he and team-mate Wayne Arthurs
defeated the Spanish duo of Alex Corretja and Feliciano Lopez 6-3 6-1 6-3.
The final will be decided on Sunday with the reverse singles.
Mark Philippoussis faces Juan Carlos Ferrero and, should Ferrero win, overall
victory will go down to the deciding rubber between Carlos Moya and Lleyton
Hewitt.
Spain captain Jordi Arrese said: "We do have our faith in the (singles) players
and we do feel that we can improve somewhat.
"We always felt that this was going to be our hardest day and it has proven so."
Corretja was the weak link for the visitors from the outset in the doubles as he
lost three out of his six service games and struggled to find his range in open
court.
The inexperienced Lopez endeavoured to inspire his countryman but it was in vain
as Woodbridge and Arthurs wrapped up victory within two hours in front of a
partisan Melbourne crowd.
Arthurs - one of the most potent servers in the game - lived up to his
reputation, while his partner succeeded with almost everything he tried.
Corretja, in contrast, had his opening service game broken, allowing the
Australian duo to go 3-1 ahead, an advantage they maintained to win the set 6-3.
It was a mirror image in the second set as Corretja, who was treated for a
shoulder complaint, capitulated under an impressive array of groundstrokes by
Woodbridge.
From there, the home side rapidly wrapped up the contest, winning the set 6-1
and rounding off the rubber 6-3 in the third.
Afterwards Woodbridge said: "I was calm and really focused and I had a lot of
confidence in Wayne."
Australian captain John Fitzgerald was delighted with the result in what was
Woodbridge's 29th Davis Cup appearance - a national record.
Fitzgerald said: "Todd has mastered the art of doubles. He was a maestro and
Wayne Arthurs has come a long way over the last two years.
"Realistically they are probably the best doubles combination in the world right
now."
The pair had gone into Saturday's game with the scores level.
Moya beat Philippoussis on Friday to make it 1-1 after Hewitt had earlier edged
Ferrero in the singles.