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Hewitt keeps pushing on

By LINDA PEARCE
Monday 22 January 2001

Towards the end of what was a brutally long tennis year, Lleyton Hewitt sat down for a talk with his coach, Darren Cahill, and was told to consider his options. Breathing problems meant Hewitt should think about whether he would contest the Davis Cup final in December or the Australian circuit, for it was unlikely his health would permit him to do both.

Hewitt opted to wear the national tracksuit ¨C even if he could not quite manage the team tribute moustache ¨C for John Newcombe and Tony Roche¡¯s farewell tie in Spain and take his chances in Australia, whatever the potential consequences for the grand slam tournament the teenager covets most. For Hewitt, there was no choice. "Davis Cup¡¯s my priority," he said.

Yet through little fault of his own, the situation has been one of the lose-lose variety. Australia was defeated 3-1 by Spain in a final that ate into what little rest time is granted between seasons, and ended when a gallant Hewitt fell to Juan Carlos Ferrero in the first reverse singles.

Then, on Saturday night, Hewitt was beaten in five sets by another Spaniard, Carlos Moya, who could not even win selection for Barcelona.

If Hewitt would be forgiven for having nightmares about sangria-quaffing Mediterranean types, then the events of the past three weeks appears to have been no better or worse than he expected. Having been precluded from doing any fitness work for about five months, he said he started the summer hoping for the best, rather than counting on it.

"I was very happy with the way I played in Sydney and got myself in good condition after losing in the quarters in Adelaide," said Hewitt, who was remarkably composed post-match considering what he had just endured.

"But, you know, it was very hard to expect huge things, because before the Davis Cup final, I, in my mind, was worried that I was going to play the Davis Cup final or play the Australian Open circuit. You know, my breathing was that bad at the time.

"Darren had sat me down and said, `you¡¯re probably going to have to miss one of these, which one are you going to miss?¡¯ I took my chances in the Davis Cup and, as it turns out, I¡¯ve taken my chances for the Australian Open circuit as well. I really didn¡¯t give myself the greatest chances in both situations due to things that are out of my control anyway."

Health was one, and the draw was another, although Hewitt¡¯s win-some-lose-some philosophy was encouragingly non-Dokic-like. The 19-year-old slightly strained his hamstring during practice on Sunday, two days after he had learnt that he was likely to face three opponents who had been members of the top 10 in the past four years, in the first three rounds.

Jonas Bjorkman pushed him to five sets in not far short of four hours on Tuesday night, and then Tommy Haas lost in straight sets a match he could easily have won in the same fashion.

Hewitt had been softened up, and it was all set for Moya, a one-time No.1, 1997 Australian Open finalist and 1998 French Open champion, to bury the seventh seed for good.

So he did, but not until well after 1am, after three hours and 50 minutes, and a scoreboard that showed a 4-6, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 result in what for Moya was one of his best signs yet that his return from a back stress fracture is well on course. "The match I won today is unbelievable. I have no words to describe it," Moya said.

"(Hewitt¡¯s) very difficult. He runs like crazy and the balls are all coming back, and I was lucky that I got many free points with my serve. He¡¯s a very tough player, and mentally he¡¯s the No.1.

" As I said, maybe he doesn¡¯t have the talent of Safin or Kuerten, but mentally he¡¯s the No.1 in the world, I would say. He never gives up, and he¡¯s always there."

Hewitt¡¯s third-round loss to Moya means he has reached the fourth round only once in 11 grand slam events ¨C his semi-final appearance in the US Open last year.

Hewitt must now decide if the time is approaching to take a voluntary break before one is forced upon him.

His predicament represents a compelling case for those who are pushing for the two Davis Cup finalists to receive a first-round bye the following year but, given that is not yet the situation, perhaps next week¡¯s enforced rest will not be such a bad thing.

Australia plays Ecuador in Perth from February 9-11 and Hewitt¡¯s priority before then is to let his body heal. "I¡¯m struggling with my hamstring at the moment," he said. "That¡¯s the priority, to try to get that right in time because I¡¯ve been taking a lot of tablets and stuff to try to get it right for these two weeks.

"Now I¡¯ve really got to get off that and try to get it 100 per cent for the Davis Cup tie, then the American hardcourt season."

Hewitt is committed to San Jose and Scottsdale before Masters Series events at Indian Wells and Miami. But early yesterday, barely half an hour after leaving the court with a $3600 fine for verbally abusing the chair umpire, and the knowledge that he was hurt badly by three double faults during the decisive service break two games later, it was telling that Hewitt was asked whether he was considering taking a break for mental health reasons.

"No, the schedule doesn¡¯t really allow me to take a break," he said, pointing out, for example, the preparation time required for the switch to grass. Surgery had been recommended to treat what has most recently been diagnosed as a sinus problem, but he said there was simply no time for the 4-5 week rehabilitation that such action would require.

Anyway, Hewitt emphasised that his breathing had improved with the help of medication and the use of a nasal spray, and the hamstring will repair.

It all sounds encouraging enough, but the worry is whether he can push so hard indefinitely, when his passion and intensity, as well as his attritional, counter-punching style, require so much energy.

The teenager has already been advised, by John Fitzgerald and others, to scale back his commitments, although Cahill counters that last year¡¯s intense activity was partly because of a rate of improvement that even the coach did not predict. Wins mean more matches, and Hewitt earned plenty of both.

Yet only Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras played fewer tournaments among players in the top 50, and Cahill insists that Hewitt will continue to be handled with care.

"It wasn¡¯t like we were sending him out week after week," Cahill said. "He played some doubles last year as well, which was a deliberate ploy to improve his game. I think as long as we manage him well that Lleyton can play for the next dozen years, no problems."

Still, the immediate past, rather than the future, would have been occupying Hewitt¡¯s weary mind when he woke up yesterday morning, sore, deflated and bumped from the tournament that means more to him than any other.

If only, he mused, he could have held his opening serve in the second set when Moya was still spraying his backhand around like a garden hose. If only he had converted that break point early in the fifth set. If only the draw had been kinder.

"At the end of the day, I gave everything I had," said Hewitt. "In all three of my matches, I had to work my butt off the whole time. I didn¡¯t get too many cheap points against the three guys that I played. They¡¯re all very class, highly rated players.

"Obviously the draw didn¡¯t go my way, and I didn¡¯t give myself a chance to work my way into the tournament. But there¡¯s nothing I can do about that."


National duty awaits Hewitt

By PATRICK MILES

22 January 01

The Australian

WITH no time to lose before another Davis Cup campaign, Lleyton Hewitt will allow his hamstring to heal before starting practice on grass for the first-round tie against Ecuador in Perth on February 9-11.

Despite the disappointment of being eliminated from his home grand slam in the third round of the singles, Hewitt's spirit will be rejuvenated by the prospect of national duty.

Hewitt, 19, has retained his place as Australia's No. 1 player in captain John Fitzgerald's team, which also comprises Pat Rafter, Todd Woodbridge, Wayne Arthurs and a fifth man to be named this week.

Hewitt, who has a sinus condition to contend with as well as his strained right hamstring, revealed after his five-set defeat at the hands of Carlos Moya that he had almost skipped the Australian Open.

When his breathing difficulties had become worse in November, he had decided, with coach Darren Cahill, to concentrate on the Davis Cup final against Spain in Barcelona and, if necessary, miss Melbourne Park.

Hewitt said it had been "hard to expect huge things" coming into the Open.

"Before the Davis Cup, I was worried I was going to play the Davis Cup final or play the Australian Open ¨C my breathing was that bad at the time," Hewitt said after being eliminated by Moya 4-6 6-1 5-7 6-2 7-5 in three hours and 48 minutes.

"Darren had sat me down and said, 'you're probably going to have to miss one of these, which one are you going to miss?'

"I took my chances in the Davis Cup and, as it turns out, I've taken my chances for the Australian Open as well.

"I really didn't give myself the greatest chance of doing well in both situations due to things that are out of my control. Davis Cup is my priority."

Moya's performance on Saturday night ended Hewitt's Open campaign as the South Australian withdrew from the mixed doubles last week.

"I will try to get my body right ¨C I'm struggling with my hamstring at the moment," Hewitt said.

"I've been taking a lot of tablets and stuff to try to get it right for these two weeks. Now I've really got to get off that and try to get it 100 per cent for the Davis Cup tie, then the American hard-court season."

Hewitt, who failed to better his results in Melbourne last year, when he reached the fourth round, again said he did not have time to undergo surgery for his sinus condition.

"The schedule doesn't really allow me to take a break," he said.

"I've got a Davis Cup tie on grass, which is going to take a bit of getting used to after playing on Rebound Ace.

"But at the moment, my breathing's actually feeling a little better with the tablets I've been taking and the nasal spray. The hamstring, which happened practising here a few days before the tournament started, that is a one-off thing. If I can get that right before the Davis Cup tie, I think I'm going to be fine."

Nicolas Lapentti, who will be Hewitt's opposite number in Perth, is also free to acclimatise to grass after his second-round defeat at the hands of Britain's Tim Henman last week.

As Ecuador's only recognised player of note, Lapentti will be carrying a heavy load in Perth, where he is expected to play singles and doubles with younger brother Giovanni.

Nicolas, who has been ranked as high as No. 6 in the world, said Australia would start favourites against Ecuador, who beat Britain last year to return to the World Group for the first time since 1986.

"We have very little chance," Lapentti said. "But we were in the same situation against Britain."

There were echoes of the Davis Cup in Rod Laver Arena on Saturday night, even though Moya was not a part of the Spanish team in Barcelona.

Moya, who has regained his place in the team for Spain's first-round tie against the Netherlands next month, achieved what Hewitt had against Albert Costa on the first day of last month's final.

Costa, who has since made way for Moya in the team, had a huge and noisy crowd behind him and took the lead by two sets to one before Hewitt pegged him back in five.

At Melbourne Park, the positions were reversed as Hewitt had the public on his side and squandered a lead.

For Moya, the victory was as courageous and impressive as Hewitt's had been in Barcelona, where the South Australian became the villain because of his demonstrative on-court behaviour.

Unlike Alex Corretja, Spain's No. 1 player, who criticised Hewitt for his antics, Moya said he was not bothered by his opponent's play.

"I don't have any problem with him," Moya said. "I respect him. We're just different.

"He gets a lot of support from the crowd because he's playing here and he needs to be motivated. But he is not doing that just to bother me or because he has no respect for me and for the Open."

Moya's next opponent will be Germany's Rainer Schuettler, who defeated Daniel Nestor of Canada to reach the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time.

Fitzgerald decides early
By PATRICK MILES
18jan01 (news.com.au-The Australian)

IN a break from the style of the previous regime, Davis Cup captain John
Fitzgerald yesterday named his preferred starting lineup well in advance of
Australia's first-round tie against Ecuador on February 9-11.

Pat Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt retained their places in the singles while
Wayne Arthurs and Todd Woodbridge were chosen in the places of Mark
Woodforde, who has retired, and Sandon Stolle, who has failed.

For the past few years, Fitzgerald's predecessor, John Newcombe, preferred to
name a squad comprising all of the country's leading players, presuming they
were fit, then nominate the actual team closer to the event.

But Fitzgerald has shown his hand early by announcing the final quartet for
Perth, plus one hitting partner, Alun Jones from the ACT, and one more to be
named further into the Australian Open.

Given the fitness of Hewitt and Rafter, who were the automatic choices for
Fitzgerald, the main interest has centred on the doubles combination which
has been a problem recently for Australia.

Woodforde and Stolle lost their rubber in the final against Spain last month
and, while a replacement for the former was forced upon Fitzgerald due to the
left-hander's retirement, his decision to drop Stolle was based on Davis Cup
form.

Arthurs and Woodbridge played doubles together at the AAPT Championships in
Adelaide during the first week of the year with Fitzgerald in attendance. He
saw enough to select them in his first team.

Fitzgerald, who took over from Newcombe on January 1, was also impressed by
Jones, a 20-year-old who was given a wild card into the Australian Open and
lost bravely to the ninth-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero in the first round.

Jones will become Australia's new "orange boy", a role performed at the age
of 16 by Hewitt, who quickly became his country's leading player.

"He will be there as a hitting partner, not officially as part of the squad
but as a player that we believe has a future in Australian tennis,"
Fitzgerald said.

"From my point of view, I'd prefer to have a bit of a smaller squad.

"We will be naming someone else to go over the next week-and-a-half, so there
will be five guys in this squad plus a hitting partner.

"It won't always necessarily be that way. There might be two hitting partners
on some occasions, depending on what surface we are playing on and what the
conditions are.

"But I think I prefer to go smaller, rather than large."

Australia's other leading men – Andrew Ilie, Jason Stoltenberg and Richard
Fromberg – will most likely be competing for the fifth place.

Fitzgerald denied it was being held for Mark Philippoussis, who is recovering
from surgery on his left knee.

"Mark is injured," he said.

"He has had an arthroscopy just a week or so ago. He is not available for
this tie.

"We are leaving that spot open because we want to see how some of our other
players who are worthy of a position in this squad pull up in the next week."

The fifth man, whoever he may be, is unlikely to play, providing Hewitt and
Rafter are fully fit.

There is a slight doubt about Hewitt, who suffered from a strained left
hamstring during his first-round match against Jonas Bjorkman on Tuesday.

Fitzgerald's lieutenant, Wally Masur, said he thought Hewitt appeared a
little flat against Bjorkman.

"But he just keeps showing everybody just how steely and how determined he
is," Masur said.

Jones would do well to emulate Hewitt's rapid progression through the Davis
Cup ranks to his position as the No.1 player.

He will be assisted by his selection in the Optus Achievers Squad, announced
yesterday by Tennis Australia president Geoff Pollard.

Part of the new sponsorship by Optus of the Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams will
provide coaching and travel support for Australia's new prospects.

"We now have six accredited training bases overseas where players can go when
they have a week or two's break on the circuit rather than coming back all
the way to Australia," Pollard said.

Men's squad: Dejan Petrovic (SA), Josh Tuckfield (SA), Alun Jones (ACT), Paul
Baccenello (SA), Luke Smith (SA), Matthew Breen (Victoria)

Women's squad: Christina Wheeler (Victoria), Evie Dominikovic (NSW), Amanda
Grahame (ACT), Annabel Ellwood (ACT), Bryanne Stewart (NSW), Melissa Dowse
(NSW), Melanie Clayton (SA)

END--http://sport.news.com.au/


AUSSIES ARE ODDS ON FOR DAVIS CUP: LAPENTTI
(SportCentral; 01/18/2001)

Ecuador's top player Nicolas Lapentti has conceded his team has very little
chance of upsetting Australia in next month's Davis Cup tie in Perth.

Ecuador upset the pundits by knocking out Great Britain on grass last year to
qualify for the world group, but Lapentti wasn't confident of repeating that
feat against the Australians.

New Australian captain John Fitzgerald today named his best available team
for the tie on grass from February 9.

Lleyton Hewitt joins two-time US Open champion Pat Rafter, Wayne Arthurs and
Todd Woodbridge in the first squad named under the new Fitzgerald-Wally Masur
regime.

Fitzgerald will name the fifth squad member within ten days and says the
delay will allow him to consider several locals still involved in the
Australian Open.

Rafter and Hewitt were the likely singles players against Ecuador, counting
against Andrew Ilie's chances of being the late inclusion despite his win
over No.9 seed Juan-Carlos Ferrero at the Open today.

The 24-year-old Lapentti, who along with Hewitt was named as one of the
game's rising stars by the ATP, wasn't showing a great deal of confidence
today despite his country's win over a Great Britain team featuring Tim
Henman last year.

"We were in the same situation last year against England and no-one really
expected us to win, not even the players or people on the team," Lapentti
said.

"We're going to be there and do our best, we have a very little chance.

He said it was a pity Ecuador's first world group tie since 1986 was against
one of the world's top teams on an unfamiliar surface rather than at home on
clay.

"For me to play Pat and Lleyton on clay, I wouldn't say I am the favourite
but maybe it's 50-50, not like now when it's maybe 95-5."

Lapentti and his younger brother Giovanni - competing in juniors at the
Australian Open - played both singles and doubles against Great Britain.

Hewitt calls on Scud
By LEO SCHLINK
05jan01

LLEYTON HEWITT has urged Mark Philippoussis to make a solid commitment to the Australian Davis Cup cause, lifting hopes new captain John Fitzgerald will have a full complement of players to draw on.
Hewitt, the world No.7, wants the injured Victorian to return to the team on a full-time basis.
"Fitzy and Wally [Masur, the coach] have got to sit him down and talk to him," Hewitt said.
"I think deep down he does want to play, but he's got to be in there for the long haul. That's all Pat [Rafter] and I have asked for in the past: to put yourself down for the whole year."
For various reasons, Philippoussis, the architect of the 1999 Davis Cup triumph over France in Nice, has played just three of the past eight Cup ties.
Various injuries have robbed Australia of the US Open finalist's services, while his team-mates indicated they would rather contest the final against Spain last month without him after a dispute at Wimbledon in July.
Philippoussis, again sidelined following another operation on his left knee, consented not to play after retired captain John Newcombe said he would prefer to retain the semi-final team for the final against Spain four weeks ago.
Hewitt, Philippoussis and Rafter have yet to play on the same team.
With Philippoussis unlikely to return to the circuit until late February, Hewitt and dual US Open champion Rafter will carry the responsibility for Australian success against Ecuador in Perth next month.
Hewitt also carries the responsibility of being defending champion and top seed at the AAPT Championships in Adelaide, but his hopes were nearly dashed by an unheralded qualifier last night.
Hewitt gave his partisan home crowd palpitations before beating Bjorn Phau 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-0 to move into the quarter-finals.
It was not until the final set, and after resorting to the fist-clenching, roaring antics for which he has become known, that Hewitt shrugged off the German challenge.
The German stunned the world No.7 in the opening set with a ferocious array of groundstrokes that had the fleetfooted Hewitt looking like he was wearing concrete shoes.
Phau raced to a 4-1 lead and silenced Hewitt's home crowd before the local favourite clawed back to square the set 6-6, only to lose the tiebreaker 7-5.
Hewitt eventually triumphed 6-4 in the second before sweeping the 21-year-old German aside in the final set.
Hewitt was relieved to triumph in two hours and 19 minutes, the longest match of the tournament so far.
"I didn't know what he looked like until I walked out on court tonight," Hewitt said.
Second seed Tim Henman also moved into the quarter-finals, accounting for Jeff Tarango with ease 6-1 6-4.

Up to us to coax Scud: Woodie
The Age
By LINDA PEARCE-ADELAIDE
Wednesday 3 January 2001

Todd Woodbridge has urged Mark Philippoussis to declare unequivocally his
Davis Cup intentions, but believes the beleaguered Victorian will be wiser
for his latest representative controversy.

Woodbridge, who hopes to return to the team this year under new captain John
Fitzgerald after missing most of 2000 for personal reasons, said
circumstances would inevitably keep players out of occasional ties, but added
that it was up to his Australian teammates to convince Philippoussis he was
needed and wanted for ongoing Davis Cup duty.

"I think it's up to us, the players, to privately try and coax him into doing
it, and I think at times you can do that with Flip," Woodbridge said. "You
look now and see that he's had knee surgery, and you think that perhaps part
of his stuff (after Wimbledon, when he withdrew from the semi-final citing
knee soreness) was right, and he was correct.

"The only thing I've ever doubted about Scud is that he needs to be a little
bit more upfront, and that's why you have those doubts, because one time he
said `Yes, I'm coming', and then three days later he said no. And that's
where perhaps he needs to improve is just to say early on `This is where I
stand', then everyone knows, and that's a much better way to operate.

"Given that, he's learnt his lessons on those things right now, and he
certainly enjoys playing Davis Cup, playing for his country. I think when you
spend time around him at the Olympics and things like that, everybody sees
how much he enjoys those situations and I think it's frustrating for the
guys, more than anything, that he doesn't keep coming back for them because
you see how much he likes it."

Woodbridge himself is confident of a return under Fitzgerald, but needs to
find a new partner to replace the retired Mark Woodforde, the other half of
Australia's most successful cup pair. To that end, he will team this week
with Wayne Arthurs, ranked 28th in the world in doubles, and who may
complement Woodbridge's first-court game, particularly on grass.

"This is a good opportunity to play with one of the Aussies to try and see if
something gels right for Davis Cup," said Woodbridge, who plans to team with
Swede Jonas Bjorkman in major tournaments.

"I think what we might be looking at this year is putting me into the
forehand court and finding someone who's going to work with me at all the
ties. There's a lot of options."

END

Newk: Davis Cup and me

By PATRICK MILES
01jan01

"My first experience was the '51 and '52 Davis Cups when 'Sedge' was the hero. I can remember the '52 one and my dad saying how Frank Sedgman had cleaned the Americans up and it was probably going to be his last Davis Cup match. He just played unbelievably.

"But I was eight then. And at nine was the '53 challenge round in Melbourne, at Kooyong. So Sedgman and Ken McGregor had gone and it was Lew Hoad and Ken Rosewall, the 19-year-olds, thrown in for their first Davis Cup match against Tony Trabert and Vic Seixas. That was one of the classic Davis Cup ties, finals especially, 3-2 to Australia from 2-1 down.

"I listened on the radio in Sydney and it finished up going over four days because they had rain on the third day. Rosewall and Seixas finished up on the fourth day, which Rosewall won reasonably comfortably. But I think probably the Hoad-Trabert match was one of the Davis Cup matches: 7-5 in the fifth to Hoad in the fourth match.

"In the next year, '54, the challenge round was played in Sydney [at White City] and that was the one they had 26,000 people to. Again, it was the Americans, Trabert and Seixas, who had vowed to get revenge against Hoad and Rosewall ¨C and they did. The Americans won that tie.

"My dad took me out to watch that one. So I was 10 years of age and sitting way up in the stands ¨C that's still a world-record crowd, by the way, for an official tennis match. It was a 10,000-seat stadium and they had 26,000 there.

"So I was way up in the stands with my dad and I didn't find out until years later that there was a nine-year-old kid there who'd come up from the bush to watch the match with his dad. He was dreaming, too, and that was Tony Roche. So the two of us were there with our dads in separate parts of this gigantic arena, watching and having our own private little dreams about what we'd like to do.

"I was pretty sure that's what I wanted to do: I wanted to play Davis Cup for Australia, and if I could win Wimbledon, well, that would be a bonus."

Newcombe, who carried on to become world No.1 on June 3, 1974, and won three Wimbledon crowns, made his Davis Cup debut in 1963 under Harry Hopman against the US in the final.

"The team was named two weeks before the tie. I was named in the team of four. Although I'd had a really good season back home, that was a bit of a surprise to me. We went to Adelaide, Memorial Drive, for the game. I was 19 years old.

"It became apparent to me during the first week of practice that I was playing really well and that 'Hop' was watching me a fair bit and goading me a bit during the practice just to see how I was responding. He told me at the end of the first week that if it was a really hot day, he was going to play me, and if it wasn't that hot, he was going to play Neale Fraser. He wasn't thinking of playing Fred Stolle at that time.

"So he didn't say anything more. It was the day before the match and we were doing the draw out on the centre court. I still have a vivid memory of it. I was just standing there, the fourth in line because I was the youngest.

"They had the Davis Cup there and they pulled the names out of the cup, and it was Roy Emerson and John Newcombe, and I nearly s--- myself.

"I said to Hop when we came off 'why didn't you say anything to me before?' He said 'I just wanted to watch the expression on your face'.

"In hindsight, I don't think that it was handled really well because, as good as Hop was on that side of the coin, he never came and talked to me about what my feelings were then, and I had 24 hours to prepare myself. If I'd have known three days before that it looked like I was going to be picked, I could have had three days to get my nervous system adjusted to this.

"So I would have liked to have sat down and said 'gee, I'm having these doubts in my mind, will I be able to live up to the expectations that everybody has?'

"As it turned out, when I went on the court, I was very, very nervous and lost the first set 6-4. I lost the second set 6-1 as I got more and more nervous. And then my anger at the position I'd got myself into got rid of the fear and I came back and finished losing 7-5 in the fifth, but I'd given Dennis Ralston a two-set start before I got into it.

"I'd beaten Dennis on that same court in the final of the South Australian Open in four sets about four or five weeks before we played.

"Then I played Chuck McKinley, who was the Wimbledon champion that year, in the deciding match, in the fifth rubber.

"So I really went through a baptism of fire. I've got no regrets about that. He beat me fair and square. We were a set all and I had a break in the third and couldn't take it through. But he probably had just a little bit too much experience for me at that time. But Dennis I should have taken out.

Seven years ago, Newcombe took his experiences into his role as Davis Cup captain, with Tony Roche as the coach.

"I handled it a lot differently. When Pat Rafter played his first match in '94, our first tie in charge, I spoke to Pat at length about my own experience and what I'd been through. As it turned out, Pat played two very average matches and was horribly nervous.

"When we played our next tie against New Zealand, I knew he was nervous again. We talked it through before and he won his first match and I told him straight after that: 'Mate, you are going to become one of Australia's great Davis Cup players. You're over the hurdle now.' And that's what history has shown."

"When Lleyton Hewitt played his first tie, which was only last year, against the United States, Pat and myself both spent time talking to Lleyton about our individual experiences that we'd had and how we'd allowed nerves to affect our performance.

"We did the same with Wayne Arthurs when he played at 28 years of age.

"The big message that I like to give is 'don't get an hour into the match and have the shits with yourself because you've f***ed away two sets of tennis'. Go in with an anger like, 'bugger it, I'm not going to get down two sets because I'm nervous because I know how angry I'm going to be with myself afterwards'. That reasoning can drive away the fear that invades your body."

Newcombe singled out the memorable times.

"In '63, obviously, because although I lost two singles it was my first time and my first experience. In '73, we hadn't been allowed to play for five years because we were considered contract professionals ... been out of the competition, so my first year allowed back in, I played the whole year.

"America had been dominating the cup for five years and we were on a mission from the beginning of the year to get through to the final and put them out of their misery ¨C and we did. We beat them five-zip in the final in Cleveland. To us, it was a mission that we'd been on and we'd accomplished it. That was very sweet.

"We'd had that five years when we weren't allowed to play, and in '73 Tony's arm was going so that's why he didn't play in the Davis Cup that year. In Davis Cup doubles, we were poised in '67 when we won in the final. We would have just been playing from then on if we'd been allowed to be in the Davis Cup competition. So our Davis Cup record was destroyed because of that."

Neale Fraser played an important role in Newcombe's early career.

"`Frase' took us away as a team in 1965; it was his first job as manager. He'd just finished playing a couple of years before and I think it was his first sort of step towards the grooming of taking over from Hop whenever he was going to leave.

"So there was that and then nothing until '73 and we travelled all year together in '73.

"I wrote 'Frase' a note after the '73 cup and congratulated him on the way he'd expanded his abilities from being a team manager!

"We were the dominant nation in tennis. We would have won it the five years.

With his tenure at an end, Newcombe can be satisfied with his legacy and the fact that the flame is still burning brightly.

"I think that what we've done in the last seven years is really reignite that. Unfortunately, we haven't had a lot of home matches in seven years. We've had 12 away and eight at home but every one that we've played at home has been a sell-out.

"I sense that the people love this team, they love the spirit in this team and they love the fact that we've come through hardship and that every time we go into a hardship period we come out bigger than what we were before we had the hardship."

Newcombe and Roche decided on a joint bid to take over from Fraser.

"When we put in our nomination, they'd asked for a nomination for captain. And we put in a dual thing, Tony and myself. It wasn't particularly well received from Tennis Australia. Neale Fraser didn't agree with it either.

"There'd been 50 years of a captain. Two captains in 50 years; that's it. So that was the way that they did things. Tony and I had given it considerable thought and believed that we could bring it up to where it needed to be in modern times.

"I'm sort of a believer in destiny in a certain way and sometimes, with the things that happen ... and maybe in some ways you create your own destiny, too ... But the things that have happened along the path since 1963 ¨C 37 years of Tony and my relationship ¨C there's been a lot of things that have happened that have been good things. We were both there dreaming, we've finished up playing doubles together.

"It's one of the reasons why we're such a great combination. We're different personalities so we approach things from a different way and don't necessarily come up with the same answer all the time. Eighty per cent of the time, we will come up with the same answer. The 20 per cent of the time when we don't, it's a debate.

"We've had one really long debate about who was going to play in a doubles match in one particular tie. It was against the United States last year, in the quarter-final, the centennial match.

"We were up 2-0 and I wanted to put Pat Rafter in the doubles with Mark Woodforde. I wanted to go for the throat and Tony wanted to go with Sandon Stolle and have Pat fresh and ready for the fourth match because it was very hot and humid and he thought Pat might burn himself out in the doubles.

"As it turned out, we lost the doubles and Pat was down two sets to love in the singles and I'm turning around to Tony and saying 'you ....'.

"So you could see the two different thought patterns. Mine was to take them out of the ring. I thought Pat's presence would be too much for Alex O'Brien out there and that they'd win.

"But it's history now and we finished up winning.

"I think my relationship with the Woodies on court has been something special. We lost our first match in '94, got behind two sets to love and finished up losing in five.

"But from two sets to love down, we established a relationship. I started using a lot of bad language and really getting stuck into them and they haven't lost a doubles since then in seven years' playing. I think we've won about 11 in a row.

"You can work through things. I know that once you get going ... and tactically, they're better than anyone. So that's been fun.

"Todd Woodbridge in '96 against Japan was down in the opening match. He was down two sets to love and 3-0 in the third against a player he should beat and he was finished, he was out of the match. Together we worked out a way for him to get back in it, psychologically. He finished up winning well in five.

"I think that was a real turning point in Todd's singles career. He went on and he did very well for the next two years in singles and had he lost that singles match ... it was really going to destroy him.

"Jason Stoltenberg that same year against Croatia, playing against Goran Ivanisevic in Split, Goran's home town, down two sets to one, 4-3, Goran serving, the crowd going fanatically wild, and he won a tie-break in the fourth and 6-3 in the fifth. That was probably Jason's finest Davis Cup moment.

"Probably the biggest turnaround of everything was Pat's win over Cedric Pioline at White City in February '97. Ranked No.63 in the world, just lost in straight sets to Albert Costa in the first round of the Australian, didn't believe in himself. Pioline's just won the Davis Cup the year before, it's two sets to love and Pat looks like he's down and out. He turns around, wins in five sets and rediscovers that ball of fire down inside his guts. Eight months later, he wins the US Open. That was a major turning point in Pat's career, and life, I think.

Newcombe finds some of the dark days equally memorable. "There was September '95; losing to Hungary and being out of the world group. That was not a thrill but it was a turning point for the team. We were one win and three losses at that time and we've only lost twice since then.

"Last year, the three outstanding things were Hewitt's initiation, coming on and beating a top-10 player in the world, Todd Martin, and the year that he had and leading the team then in the semis.

"And Wayne Arthurs, 28 years of age, who comes in and beats Yevgeny Kafelnikov, the No.2 player in the world, in four sets.

"Then Mark's performance; Mark Philippoussis in the final last year. The best tennis he's ever played. I don't think anyone was going to beat him in those two matches that he played there.

"Sebastien Grosjean's not a bad player; he just tidied him away in straight sets. And then against Pioline .. halfway through the match and Pioline raises the bar to win the second set and Mark just comes back and says 'Okay, I'll go with you, now see if you can go with me'."

A few days after Barcelona, Newcombe and Roche handed over the Davis Cup reins to John Fitzgerald and Wally Masur.

"I would never have put in for it by myself. It's a two-person job. Tony immediately said 'I think it's a great idea'. So then we put in a proposal and Tennis Australia didn't like the proposal. They came back to myself and to Tony and tried to get one of us to take it individually. But we just said 'no, we're both in or we're both out'.

"Actually, in '97, when we lost in the semis to the US, I said to Tony that I was going to retire and that he should take over as captain and get someone on as coach. And he just refused. He said 'we started this together and we're going to finish it together'.

"So I said 'oh shit, how many years do I have to do this?' He said 'well, till 2000'."

Newcombe believes the spirit of the Davis Cup still enthrals the players.

"The majority of players play. There are not too many that don't play for their country.

"To me, the ones that don't are doing more damage to themselves by not playing. History shows that the blokes who play Davis Cup and do well in Davis Cup, do well. It helps their careers.

"It builds you so much. The only thing that comes close to playing in a Davis Cup final is a grand slam final and not too many people get the experience of playing in a grand slam final.

"The build-up that they get, how much they find out about their own bodies and their own minds in this build-up to bring yourself to a peak ¨C that's invaluable.

"I think Pat probably put it the best: 'I don't consider it a burden to play Davis Cup for Australia; I consider it an honour.' You couldn't put it any better.

"I was told by Roy Emerson when I was young and just starting out on the tour. 'Blue',' he said, (Emmo called everyone Blue) 'as an Australian, you don't leave the court losing unless you leave blood all over it'. So to me, that was what you were supposed to do. I f***ing loved it."

Knee injury to keep Philippoussis out two months
SportsTicker

MELBOURNE, Australia (Ticker) -- Hard-serving Australian Mark Philippoussis
will be out of action at least two months after an MRI scan detected a slight
tear in the lateral meniscus of his left knee.  

Philippoussis was practicing in his hometown of Melbourne in preparation for
the 2001 season when knee soreness prompted him to seek the MRI.  He is
currently undergoing surgery on the knee, which first gave him problems at
Wimbledon 1999 and forced him to withdraw from Stockholm last month.  

The 24-year-old Philippoussis will miss the Hyundai Hopman Cup  and
Austrailan Open 2001 and will not be eligible to play in  Australia's first
round Davis Cup meeting with Ecuador in Perth  from February 9-11.  

He plans to return to action at the Sybase Open, the lone tournament which he
won in 2000.  That event takes place from  February 26-March 4.

"Naturally I'm very disappointed about missing the Australian summer, but I'm
confident of a full recovery, and am planning to return to competitive play
in San Jose," he said.  

Philippoussis recently met with new Australian Davis Cup Captain John
Fitzgerald about his future role in the annual competition. Philippoussis had
clashed with previous captain John Newcombe and teammate Patrick Rafter.  

"Mark and I had a terrific meeting and I now have a clearer understanding of
his position in relation to Davis Cup," Fitzgerald said. "It was really
positive and the lines of communication are wide open."  

Philippoussis played in Australia's first round win over Switzerland in the
2000 Davis Cup. But he missed the last three rounds, including Australia's
3-1 loss to Spain in the final.  

Philippoussis finished the year ranked 11th with a 42-21 record in ATP Tour
events.  He reached the fourth round of last year's Australian Open, losing
in four sets to eventual champion Andre Agassi.  

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