davis cup captains Archives - World Tennis Magazine

The following is an excerpt from the new book by Tennis Hall of Famer Sidney Wood THE WIMBLEDON FINAL THAT NEVER WAS…AND OTHER TENNIS TALES FROM A BYGONE ERA ($19.95, New Chapter Press, available for sale on amazon.com that outlines how box seats at the US Open was first created.

In the post-World War I era, with headliner stadium-fillers such as Ellsworth Vines, Don Budge, Fred Perry and Bobby Riggs moving on to successively join the pay-for play circuit, amateur tennis fell deeper into the depths of spectator disinterest year after year. Our National Championship, the modern-day US Open, was played at an initially overflowing Forest Hills stadium (during the era of Bill Tilden, Bill Johnston, Vincent Richards, Rene Lacoste, Henri Cochet and Jean Borotra), but as public interest declined, blocks of tickets were handed out to such as the Boy Scouts and YMCA to add a few bodies to the embarrassingly thin spectator presence.

The U.S. Lawn Tennis Association was so impoverished that its Davis Cup captains were named not for their tennis savvy but because they could pay their own way!

In the 1940s, I got the idea of fitting 22 eight-seat boxes against the 14-foot stadium interior west wall in the stadium of Forest Hills to bring in some higher price, high profile spectators. In a typical official reaction to any new idea, my untraditional stadium presentation was zapped – that is, until I offered to bank the installation, to be reimbursed from box sales. Guess what. In a single morning, I had no problem selling all 176 seats to corporate and other tennis-booster friends for a net pickup of a more-than-welcome three grand.

The entire 12,000-seat stadium, sparsely attended, even for the weekend finals, cleared, I believe, less than $15,000.

The very unsurprising announcement that Jim Courier will replace Patrick McEnroe as captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team ought to reopen an old discussion about the importance of being captain.

He’s not quite a coach, is he? He’s a captain. But, then, most Davis Cup players don’t need another coach and, even if Courier was more of a coach, it would create a somewhat tenuous relationship because no Davis Cup “coach” wants any teaching or recommendation conflicts with a player’s regular coach.

So, what is it exactly that the captain does, besides roll out the balls and fill out the lineup card?

His most important job is getting his country’s best players to play, which has been more of a dilemma in the U.S. than in other countries, where tennis is more popular and there is more national sports pressure on players to participate. Though even in places like Switzerland and the Czech Republic, players are much less reluctant to tell the Cup captain, “Sorry, chief, but I’ve got other priorities this year.”

That’s about what Andy Roddick told McEnroe at the start of this season — that he needed to concentrate on winning big tournaments and that wasn’t going to be helped by sudden changes of surface and long planes rides to away Cup matches. That must have been particularly difficult for Roddick, who has been among the United States’ most committed team players, but that’s an ongoing problem for Davis Cup and even the most nationalistic players are caught up in the scheduling conflicts.

Davis Cup captains also have to decide what surface to use in home matches and to make sure that when the surface has been laid that it’s the right speed, and this is no minor obligation. It might be easy for a captain to select an indoor hardcourt, but indoor hardcourts come in different speeds and grit texture.

In 1998, the U.S. was stunned, at home, in a 4-1 semifinal loss to Italy because the indoor hardcourt in Milwaukee was too slow, making it very comfortable for Italian clay courters Andrea Gaudenzi and Davide Sanguinetti.

The captain has to hold the team’s psyche together. That’s not been a problem in some time in the U.S. because Roddick, James Blake, the Bryan twins, and now John Isner, Sam Querrey and Mardy Fish all get along. But in 1984, in a final between the U.S. and Sweden, America’s dream team of John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and McEnroe-Peter Fleming in doubles was beaten 4-1 in Goteborg with Connors and McEnroe at the very lowest point of their contentious relationship with each other. They wouldn’t practice together, even avoided each other at the pre-match joint team dinner.

So, how will Courier do? It might be more or less a moot question, because I expect that one of two groups that are trying to promote a radical change in Davis Cup format are likely to be successful in the next year. That could turn Davis Cup into more of a World Cup.

Notwithstanding that eventuality, however, Courier will be fine. He not only has a strong competitive edge that will trickle down to his players, but he’s detail oriented. He’ll easily handle the nuts and bolts of the job. And he has for years been running a masters-type tour of former champions, in which he undoubtedly had to deal at times with disparate personalities.

He’s got a good group of players from which to select. Roddick, who Courier reported has committed to play in 2011, as well as Isner, Querrey and Mardy Fish.

This is the right choice.

Meanwhile, on the women’s side, Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez had an easy time picking her team for the Nov. 6-7 final vs. Italy, in San Diego — Liezel Huber in doubles, Melanie Oudin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands in singles and 19 year old Coco Vandeweghe in reserve.

I’m sorry the Williams sisters are injured and unable to play, but I wouldn’t have selected them for this Fed Cup final if they were fit and really wanted to play — and their desire to play Fed Cup is a question mark.

Serena Williams hasn’t played Fed Cup since 2007, the only time she’s been on the team in the last seven years. Venus Williams also hasn’t played since 2007.

We all know the Williams sisters are about five levels above Oudin and Mattek-Sands in talent, but there’s something that just feels good about letting the players who got you to the final play the final.

Isn’t that what “team” is about?