http://www.daviscup.org/daviscup.htm


Maybe it's because he sleeps on his stomach that Mark Philippoussis occasionally seems to see the world upside down. Most players would sell their favourite sports car for the chance of representing their country in a Davis Cup final, but not so the big man from Melbourne.

Just before he pulled out of the Tennis Masters Series event in Stuttgart with a stiff neck - it's that strange sleeping habit which creates the problem - Philippoussis announced categorically that he was not available for the Davis Cup Final between Australia and Spain in Barcelona next month.

Even the remarkable feat of leading his country to victory in last year's final against France on a clay court in Nice with 9,000 near-hysterical French spectators screaming in his ears did not seem to convince Philippoussis that Davis Cup should remain one of his priorities. As a result his relationships with the captain John Newcombe and other members of the squad became strained once again and Patrick Rafter hinted strongly at the US Open that they would prefer it if Philippoussis stayed away.

He seems to have taken the hint. Despite insisting that his relations with Rafter had returned to normal, Philippoussis answered a question about his participation in the final by saying, "As far as playing in the Davis Cup Final, I won't be there."

Earlier he had been talking about Rafter as if they were the best of pals. "We've put everything behind us," he said. "We're talking really well. I mean, it's like nothing ever happened. We joke all the time in the locker room."

Whether the Aussies will find anything to joke about after they have taken on the Spaniards without their best clay court player remains to be seen.