Where does a Spaniard practise on grass?

[andalucia (All I Need)]

http://www.daviscup.com/news/newsarticle.asp?id=12613

18 Nov 2003
Where does a Spaniard practise on grass? - in Houston of course

    If Barcelona is your starting point and Melbourne your destination, you
can turn either left or right; east or west. Some airline or another will
eventually get you Down Under.

    But Juan Carlos Ferrero and Carlos Moya had a specific reason for going
west, and as they journeyed on across the Pacific after their week in Houston,
they must have been wondering whether the Tennis Masters Cup had been worth it.
The Spanish pair, who, presumably, will be spearheading Spain's challenge for
the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas against Australia in the final at Melbourne Park,
played six round robin matches between them and lost all but one.

    Both are experienced and professional enough to try and put that kind of
disappointment behind them but, whichever way you look at it, the week in
Space City did not exactly send their confidence into orbit.

"I have to forget about this tournament," said Fererro, looking as if it had
been a very long year after his third consecutive loss in Houston. "For me it
was a bad tournament. So now I have to practise on grass, maybe here for a
few days, because there are grass courts at the Westside Tennis Club, and
think about Australia."

    Moya, having beaten Rainer Schuettler in his third and ultimately
meaningless round robin match, was able to be a little more positive. Asked
if Spain would take confidence from the fact that France upset Australia on a
grass court inside the Rod Laver Arena in the 2001 Davis Cup Final, Moya
replied: "It helps. We know we don't have the experience the French team have
on grass. But they did it, and I don't consider them better than we are. I
think we have a very strong team. But Australia have a very strong team also.
But once you get to the final anything can happen. So I believe we have a
chance."

    Much will depend on the choices made by the Spanish captain, Jordi Arrese
and his advisers. Having taken the tough decision to leave Albert Costa
behind in favour of the young left hander Feliciano Lopez, it comes down to
the question of whether Arrese is going to gamble and throw Lopez, with his
big, fast-court serve, into the opening singles against Lleyton Hewitt in
place of Moya or, if his form doesn't improve when the team assemble in
Melbourne, even in place of Ferrero.

    Dropping Ferrero would be a very tough call. Not only has he had a spell
as world No 1 in recent weeks but, contrary to what one might think, his
grass court record is better than Moya's. While Ferrero got to the fourth
round at Wimbledon last summer, Moya elected not to show up for the second
consecutive year. Previously he had never got past the second round.

    Ferrero's good showing at Wimbledon this year was, ironically, all bound
up with contests against members of that winning French Davis Cup team of
2001. He beat Nicolas Escude, the French hero in Melbourne, when Escude was
forced to quit at two sets to one down with an injury in the second round,
and then went down to Sebastien Grosjean in the sixteens, after losing
tiebreakers in the third and fourth sets.

    So, while it's all about "decisions decisions" for the Spaniards,
Australian captain John Fitzgerald has no such worries. Providing everyone
shows up fit, Mark Philippoussis and Hewitt will play singles and
Todd Woodbridge will be partnered by Wayne Arthurs in the doubles. No wonder
Philippoussis spent a relaxed week in Houston as first reserve for the Tennis
Masters Cup, hitting on the grass and leaving for his home town Down Under
with a little smile on his face.


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