December 2000

The Australian Davis Cup team faces it's biggest challenge when it takes on the mighty Spaniards – who are hungry for success on their home soil – in Barcelona this month.


BY ALAN TRENGOVE.

An Australian victory in the Davis Cup final against Spain at Barcelona – a citadel of claycourt tennis – would be a remarkable upset. The matches will be held from December 8-10 on an indoor clay court at Palau Sant Jordi, and in front of a projected crowd of 20,000, most of them Spaniards.


Such a coup is possible, of course; nothing can ever be taken for granted in Davis Cup. Spain has never won the Cup; its expectations of an historic triumph are high, and at the moment of truth nerves could unravel the Spanish players’ confidence.


But Australian hopes were hit hard when John Newcombe’s team rebuffed Mark Philippoussis amid the euphoria of the semi-final defeat of Brazil.


On a purely objective basis – overlooking the long-running feud between Philippoussis and his erstwhile teammates – the big Victorian should probably have been the first player pencilled-in for singles duty in the final. He has the shots, the strength and stamina to play well on slow clay, and, as he showed at Nice in the 1999 final, he can, when motivated and properly prepared, deliver results on the most important occasions.

The Spanish press certainly thinks so. "Is very good for Espana, no Philippoussis," a veteran tennis writer from Madrid told me during the Olympic Games.


Not that Spain can underestimate Lleyton Hewitt and Patrick Rafter. They, too, possess the ability "to fire" when it matters most. Outstanding team men and terrific fighters, they have proved themselves worthy warriors many times.


There is no denying, however, that Australia has sacrificed a valuable advantage – an opportunity to switch one of its singles players on the final day. Spain has already exploited the new rule that allows substitutes to be used without medical reasons.


Against Russia in the quarter-finals, Alex Corretja scored a four-set win over Marat Safin, but lost in the doubles. Although Spain then led by two matches to one, Corretja was a little tired, and so Spanish captain Javier Duarte swung in a fresh Albert Costa, who gave a wilting Yevgeny Kafelnikov just three games in what proved to be the decisive rubber.


Duarte is now in the fortunate position of being able to choose from four excellent claycourt players – Corretja, Costa, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Carlos Moya. The latter, a former French Open champion and Australian Open finalist, has been through a lean spell following a back injury. His improved form may bring him into the equation.

The only other player Duarte has used is Juan Balcells. "Who the hell is Balcells?" John McEnroe inquired when he led the US team to Santander for a semi-final showdown in July. McEnroe was entitled to be puzzled. Balcells isn’t even listed in the ATP media guide. The record shows, though, that Balcells not only partnered Corretja to doubles victories over Italy and America, but recently won a singles title on the ATP Tour.


Whether Duarte sticks with Balcells, who has given him good service this year, or opts for Moya, a former world No. 1, was still to be resolved when this magazine went to press. Spain, in any case, isn’t counting on a doubles victory; it hopes to win at least three of the four singles.

In terms of experience and success on clay courts, the difference between the two teams is stark. Hewitt’s only two Cup matches on clay occurred in the 1999 final. He lost both (though his three-set match with Cedric Pioline was close).


Hewitt hits a heavier ball than a year ago, but remains essentially a counter-puncher, at his best when given a target. The Spaniards play the same way, and whoever Hewitt meets, it’s certain to be a long, grinding match. The teenager has a winning record against all four of the Spanish stars, but has never played Corretja, Ferrero or Moya on clay. He gave Corretja an extraordinary 6-0, 6-0, 6-1 pasting at the Australian Open, which the Spaniard is keen to avenge.


Rafter has played only one Cup match on clay – a doubles alongside Mark Woodforde in Croatia. He missed the 1999 final because of his shoulder injury, and dearly wishes to get his name on the famous trophy. He has given several heroic performances on clay, most notably at Rome, where he was a finalist in ‘99, and at Roland Garros, where he made the semis in ‘97. Spaniards, alas, have often proved his undoing.


The two question marks over Rafter at Barcelona will be whether his shoulder will withstand the stress of playing long singles matches on slow clay, and whether he employs an all-out serve-and-volley tactic. In the first round of the US Open this year, Rafter lost a gruelling encounter with Spain’s Galo Blanco on cement, Pat’s most preferred surface. He was, however, under-prepared because of renewed worries about his shoulder.


Manolo Santana, the former Spanish Cup captain, told me: "Spanish players hit the ball very hard from the baseline and have big forehands. They always move to cover the backhand – maybe run around their backhand. That doesn’t mean they cannot hit a backhand.


"Patrick was surprised by Galo because he thought he didn’t have a backhand, but Galo did and he passed Patrick down the line. A couple of days later, Galo played (Thomas) Johansson and lost in straight sets. Why? Because Johansson plays the same game. He stays back.


"Rafter is the type who cannot stay on the baseline. He needs to go to the net. But Blanco was too good from the back. That must be a lesson for Rafter. If he wants to play well in Barcelona, he cannot go to the net on every ball, because they will kill him.


"A few years ago, in Melbourne, I watched Rafter playing (Alberto) Berasategui, who has a fantastic forehand. He lost to Berasategui, too, because he was trying to come to the net so many times, and these guys get so used to staying on the baseline. Once they get the pace of the ball, they can pass anybody."


To have a chance, Australia must win one of the first-day singles. A doubles win – presumably through Woodforde and Sandon Stolle – would apply further pressure to the Spaniards. With their team leading 2-1, either Hewitt or Rafter might just be able to seize victory on the last day, even if faced with a fresh opponent. An injury to either Aussie, on the other hand, would be disastrous, with only Stolle or the ageing Woodforde available as back-up.


The last time Australia scored back-to-back Davis Cup triumphs was in 1967, when we were playing at home and Newcombe and Roche were in the team. How fitting if it were to happen again now that Newcombe and Roche are making their swansong as team leaders.