HEWITT, PHILIPPOUSSIS MAY REUNITE IN SEPTEMBER DAVIS CUP TIE
Tennis Week
By Richard Pagliaro
2 August 2002
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Mark Philippoussis and Lleyton Hewitt may stage a reunion next month in Hewitt's home. The reigning US Open champion Hewitt and 1998 US Open runner-up Philippoussis are considered the primary players for the Australian Davis Cup squad when it hosts India in the Davis Cup World Group Qualifying tie set for September 20-22nd in Hewitt's hometown of Adelaide, Australia.
The pair last played together on the 1999 Australian Davis Cup team which defeated host France 3-2 in Nice on the strength of a pair of singles victories from Philippoussis and a doubles win by the Woodies, Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge. The 25-year-old Philippoussis has not played a Davis Cup tie for Australia since leading the Aussies to their 27th Davis Cup title, which is second only to the United States' record of 31 Davis Cup crowns.
A pair of knee surgeries sidelined Philippoussis for much of the 2001 season and his chronic knee condition requires him to receive injections of synthetic cartilage in his knee, but should his health hold up during the next seven weeks, he appears ready to return to the squad and help Hewitt lead Australia back to the World Group. Last month, Philippoussis reached the fourth round at Wimbledon before falling to former champion Richard Krajicek, 6-7 (2-7), 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (1-7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 in a titanic tiebreak marathon match.
"He said at the beginning of the year if he's fit he has a desire to play Davis Cup for his country," Australian Davis Cup captain John Fitzgerald told The Australian. "Nothing would make me happier than to have a full-strength side against India. A player of (Philippoussis') talent you want in your team, no question."
A Davis Cup finalist in each of the past two years, Australia suffered a humiliating 5-0 sweep at the hands of host Argentina in February to fall out of the World Group. Hewitt, who was still recovering from a case of the chicken pox, did not play that tie and Philippoussis was also unavailable to play as an undermanned Aussie team featuring singles players Scott Draper and Andrew Ilie was shut out by the Argentines.
"It's fair to say (Philippoussis) wasn't ready in February," Fitzgerald told The Australian. "He played well here in Adelaide (reaching the final of the AAPT championships in January) in best of three sets, but at the Australian Open (where Philippoussis lost to Greg Rusedski) they were the first two five-set matches he'd played since the US Open the year before. Best of five is pretty strenuous on your body."
The top-ranked Hewitt, who holds a 17-5 Davis Cup singles record, is anxiously awaiting the World Group Qualifying tie against India on his home turf.
Adelaide's Memorial Drive, which hosts the AAPT Championships in January, will be the venue for the tie. The site should be perfectly-suited for Hewitt, who won the AAPT title in both 1998 and 2000 and was runner-up in 1999.
"Over the last few years Memorial Drive has been the scene of great success in Australian Davis Cup history with victory over the Czech Republic in 1997 and more recently in 2000 when we triumphed against Germany," Tennis Australia president Geoff Pollard said. "And as Lleyton Hewitt's home city, that will be a huge boost both for our No. 1 player and for generating a great atmosphere for the Australian players."
The tie is scheduled for the same weekend as the Davis Cup semifinals. France hosts the United States in one semifinal, while Russia hosts Argentina in the other semifinal.
HEWITT IN, SCUD MAYBE FOR DAVIS CUP TIE
Tennis Australia
1 August 2002
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ADELAIDE, Aug 1 AAP - Lleyton Hewitt is a confirmed starter for next month's Davis Cup clash with India, but Mark Philippoussis is yet to declare his availability for the relegation play-off.
Cup team captain John Fitzgerald said world No.1 Hewitt was thrilled at the opportunity to play the September 20-22 tie in his hometown of Adelaide, on the Memorial Drive centre court he regards as his own. "He wants to come home," Fitzgerald told reporters at Memorial Drive today.
"He feels that this court at Memorial Drive is almost like playing in his backyard, he hasn't lost a lot of matches on this court over the years. It was the site where he won his first ATP tour event when he was 16, he beat (Andre) Agassi that week, he loves this court.
"He's keen to come here and he is going to play unless there's something catastrophic that happens between now and the end of the US Open."
But the availability of Philippoussis was less certain, with Fitzgerald only "hopeful" of being able to name the big-serving Victorian in his team. "We don't have to name the team obviously for quite a while yet, but in another couple weeks we'll know whether he's available, and we're hopeful," he said.
He said Wayne Arthurs and Scott Draper were the likely contenders for the second singles berth if Philippoussis decided not to play. But the doubles was of equal concern, with Indian doubles specialists Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi one of the world's best combinations, having won Wimbledon and the French Open in 1999. "It's probably fair enough to say they have a doubles team that starts favourite against our guys," Fitzgerald said.
"They're Wimbledon champions, they're French Open champions and just a year or two ago they were by far the best doubles team in the world, so they're a tough team. It is critical and we haven't won as many doubles matches in the last half-a-dozen years as we would have liked."
Todd Woodbridge, who won Wimbledon with Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman this year, was likely to fill one doubles berth. If Australia loses the tie, it will be relegated to Davis Cup second division next year and out of contention to win the cup until at least 2004.
HEWITT ONLY DEFINTITE SO FAR FOR DAVIS CUP TIE
ABC Sport
1 August 2002
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Australian Davis Cup captain John Fitzgerald says Lleyton Hewitt is the only certain starter for next month's tie against India in Adelaide.
Wayne Arthurs, Scott Draper, Todd Woodbridge and Mark Phillipoussis are in contention for the other positions.
Fitzgerald has held formal talks with Phillipoussis and is hopeful he will be available.
"Nothing would make me happier than to have a full strength side going out against India but what can I say, a player with that talent you want in your team no question," he said.