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New faces add new excitement
03 Feb 2009 - Sandra Harwitt
New faces add new excitement
The Fed Cup is bound to take on a new personality in 2009 as four countries
debut new captains when first round action gets underway the weekend of Feb
7-8.
Two World Group teams will have new leaders: The United States will be guided
by former Fed Cup player-TV commentator Mary Joe Fernandez and the French
squad will have former player Nicolas Escude in charge. In World Group II
action, the Swiss team will see the return of Severin Luhti, who also
captains the Davis Cup team, and Lior Mor, who played in one Davis Cup tie in
2000, will be at the helm for Israel.
When a new captain arrives on the scene, a team goes through adjustments and
often takes on a new personality. Invariably, the new leader brings with them
new ideas and new ways to counsel players.
Ask anyone who has ever been in the job and they’ll confirm that the role is
challenging and exhilarating. And, most of all, it is a great honor bestowed.
Mary Joe Fernandez, who played on the winning 1996 Fed Cup squad for the
United States, never hesitated when the United States Tennis Association
extended an offer for her to take over the captaincy in 2009, allowing her to
prepare for the role by being the team coach in 2008.
“I wanted to do this, 100 percent,” said Fernandez, who makes her first
appearance as captain on home soil against Argentina. “Ever since I was
still playing Fed Cup and Billie Jean (King) was captain, in conversations
she would tell me one day you’re going to be a great captain. I was young at
the time and never really thought about it seriously. But when I retired I
realized this was something I would love to do. It’s just that feeling of
pride representing your country. I love watching and analyzing and here I’m
going to be up-close-and-personal trying to help the players play their best.
”
The U.S. has won a record 17 Fed Cup titles but none since 2000, so Fernandez
is likely to feel the pressure to turn things around.
Similar to Fernandez thinking her Fed Cup experience spoke volumes in
selecting her to guide a team, Nicolas Escude believes his notable Davis Cup
career -- the highlight of which came when he clinched the crucial fifth
rubber against Wayne Arthurs in France’s defeat of Australia in the 2001
Davis Cup final -- was an integral part of the decision to offer him the Fed
Cup captaincy this season.
Sitting in the garden of the Australian Open player lounge, Escude chatted
about his feelings about taking over as captain and how prepared he is for
the responsibility of trying to lead France to another Fed Cup crown.
“It was a good surprise for me,” said Escude, who debuts in the job in a
home tie against Italy. “The French girls called me at the end of the year
to ask if I’m interested in being the captain. The challenge to me is to
win. And that’s what I said to all the girls: ‘I came to be your captain to
win this competition and that is why I accepted to be your captain.’ I was
on the tour a long time and I saw a lot of matches of girls and I worked for
TV when I stopped playing, so I saw a lot of women’s matches. I have my idea
of how they can play and what I can do for them.”
The Swiss are welcoming back Severin Luhti to the captaincy, a position he
was happy to take back when it became evident that this year there would be
no schedule conflict from also being the Davis Cup captain, nor with the
occasional coaching work he does with Roger Federer.
“I think it’s always an honor to be a captain in the Fed Cup or the Davis
Cup, so I saw that it was possible again with the schedule, I wanted to take
it back because it’s something I like to do very much,” Luhti said. “There
are a few things which are similar such as it’s always important to be
constantly in contact with the players on both sides. With the women’s team,
women are a little bit less experience to be on the team. The girls are more
used to doing their own thing. I’m looking forward to getting back on the
bench in the first round.
Luhti, who will guide Switzerland against Germany in first round action, has
a philosophy about being a Fed Cup captain – offer opinions, but remember
there are some boundaries.
“It’s part of the job of the captain to work on technique and also work on
making a good atmosphere,” Luhti said. “But it’s also important that I
work with their coaches because that’s whose there for them during the whole
year. I can talk to their coaches if I have some ideas because it doesn’t
help if I try to change something, like try to change someone’s forehand
during a Fed Cup week. It will not work.”
The Israelis, who travel to the Ukraine for the opening round of the 2009 Fed
Cup World Group II season, will have top 50 ranked Shahar Peer as their
linchpin of the team. Peer, who owns a 19-12 winning record in 17 ties played
since 2002, spoke kindly of the newly named Israeli captain Lior Mor during
the Australian Open.
Peer said that Mor maintains a day job away from tennis and related to
investing.
“He was the coach of the team for a few years and he used to coach me when I
was younger and I did very well with him, actually,” Peer said. “Now he’s
not really in tennis. We all know him very well. He’s very funny and a very
clever guy. I think he can do a very good job being captain. It’s important
to be happy as a team and be close to each other.
Fans will be watching carefully as Mary Joe Fernandez, Nicolas Escude,
Severin Luhti and Lior Mor launch their careers as Fed Cup captains in early
February. And whether they walk away having led their team to victory or not,
they will undoubtedly be proud of having the opportunity to represent their
countries in such an important way.
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