November 5, 2000

Mark Philippoussis will play for Australia in Davis Cup in the future, despite declaring himself unavailable for the final against Spain next month.

Following a series of rifts with Pat Rafter and outgoing team captain John Newcombe, Philippoussis issued a statement recently saying he would not stand for selection for the 2000 Davis Cup final.

But manager John McCurdy said Philippoussis would turn out for his nation again, and would meet with incoming captain John Fitzgerlad to discuss the matter.

"The team made it clear after the semi-final that they wanted to go with the same team and Mark accepted that decision," McCurdy said. "He doesn't want a lot of aggravation on the tour."

McCurdy also confirmed Jelena Dokic would play in the Adidas International and Australian Open this summer but miss the Hopman Cup in favour of an exhibition tournament in Hong Kong.

Lleyton Hewitt, another of McCurdy's clients, may reduce his tournament schedule next year, following burn-out warnings from Fitzgerald.