Kafelnikov for Davis role
Yevgeny Kafelnikov will help train the Russian Davis Cup team for their World Group first round tie against Belarus, the country's tennis chief said on Tuesday.
"I don't think Yevgeny is ready to coach on his own but he will assist us in our preparations," the president of the Russian Tennis Federation Shamil Tarpishchev, who is also their Davis and Fed Cup captain, told Reuters.
"It's a win-win situation for all of us. On the one hand, we give him an opportunity to do something while he contemplates his future, on the other we could use his expertise and knowledge of the game to help our younger players."
Russia, 2002 Davis Cup champions, face World Group newcomers Belarus in Minsk from February 6 to 8.
Kafelnikov's playing career has been in limbo since October.
The former world number one, who turns 30 next month, has often said he is about to retire only to change his mind at the last minute.
Last October, Kafelnikov was vague about his future after losing his last competitive match in the second round of the St Petersburg Open, telling reporters: "You'll get the answer just by looking at entry sheets at various tournaments next year."
The Russian has not entered any of this month's tournaments, including the first grand slam of the year, the Australian Open, which he won in 1999 and was runner-up at the following year.
GAINED WEIGHT
Tarpishchev refused to speculate about whether Kafelnikov would continue playing this year.
"We speak on a daily basis and as far as I know he hasn't made up his mind yet," Tarpishchev said, adding that the 2000 Olympic champion has gained weight, "some eight kilos".
Kafelnikov, looking out of shape, was last seen in public during the Fed Cup Final Four in Moscow in November, sitting in the stands next to former Russian President Boris Yeltsin.
Many Russian tennis insiders doubt that Kafelnikov will come back, but Tarpishchev said: "Yevgeny can still be competitive if he picks the right tournaments, the way (Andre) Agassi has been doing so well in the last few years."
"As far as playing doubles, I don't see a problem at all. He was one of the best in the world and can still play doubles at the highest level for three or four years if he really wants it."
But Tarpishchev, who led Russia to their first Davis Cup triumph in 2002, was not sure whether Kafelnikov would develop into a good coach.
"Just like most top players Yevgeny has a big ego inside of him," he said. "And unless he finds a way to channel it properly to help younger players' confidence instead of suppressing their initiative, he will not achieve the same success he has had as a player. I don't think he is ready for that just yet."
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