http://www.daviscup.com/news/newsarticle.asp?id=12637
Moya and Ferrero Get the Call
So after days, if not weeks of speculation, finally we know who will line
up in Friday’s singles rubbers of the 2003 Final of the Davis Cup by BNP
Paribas.
Despite a growing feeling that visitors Spain would take a bold gamble by
replacing either Carlos Moya or Juan Carlos Ferrero with Davis Cup rookie
Feliciano Lopez, Captain Jordi Arrese and his colleagues have decided to s
tick with their number one and two ranked players, Ferrero and Moya, for the
singles.
“It has been hard,” said Arrese, “but it was a joint decision. We feel that
we have a very competitive team, we have four great players and they are really
quite impressive in any case.”
“It’s a bit tough for him [Lopez] to come out and expect him to play under a
lot of pressure,” was Philippoussis’s assessment, while Todd Woodbridge said
he felt that although Lopez’s left-handed serve was a weapon, experience – or
lack thereof – was the more important factor here.
“We have predominantly been preparing for the two right handers,” agreed
Captain John Fitzgerald, “so it’s all according to our plan I think.”
Thursday’s draw, held in crisp early-morning sunshine on the grass court
in Rod Laver Arena, determined that Australia’s number two, Lleyton Hewitt,
would face Spanish number one Juan Carlos Ferrero in Friday’s opening match.
Although the Australians emphasised that they didn’t mind who was up first –
Fitzgerald went so far as to call the draw ‘over-rated’ – Hewitt certainly
seems the most eager of any of the players to get on court.
This hunger has been sharpened by an eight week lay-off from the tour,
mainly to focus on this tie but also to cure a troublesome wart on his right
foot. The Australian has the chance to ‘crack open’ the tie which he has
been talking about this week.
“I am looking forward to this I guess since I came off the court in the last
tie and nothing has changed. It’s been a long eight weeks for me, and all my
focus and training has been on this tie, and probably especially this match
knowing that I was going to play Juan Carlos on day one.
Ferrero for his part says he has forgotten his wretched form at the Tennis
Masters Cup in Houston, where he lost all three of his matches.
“I think the Tennis Masters Cup was a long time ago, I have forgotten all
about it. I am feeling good here and I am ready to go.””
Although Ferrero enjoyed a more successful grass court season earlier in t
he year, reaching the round of 16 at Wimbledon compared with Hewitt’s shock
first round loss to Ivo Karlovic, Hewitt obviously boasts a superior career
record on the surface. The 2002 Wimbledon Champion has a 51-11 lifetime win/
loss on grass, while Ferrero’s win/loss record on it is 6-4.
For Hewitt too this match is a chance to avenge the defeat that Ferrero
inflicted on him in their last clash, a 46 63 76(5) 61 loss the quarterfinals
at the US Open this year. Hewitt said that he felt that was as well as he had
seen the Spaniard play but that even so, he had been a bit unlucky not to
capitalise on a set point for two sets to one.
Friday’s second match will see Carlos Moya take on Mark Philippoussis,
in what will be the Spaniard’s first match on grass for nearly 18 months.
“I can’t remember,” was Moya’s succinct answer when asked about his last
outing on the surface.
For the record, it was a 63 63 defeat to Stefan Koubek in the first round
at Halle last year. Moya’s last win on grass came at Wimbledon in 2001, when
he defeated Neville Godwin in the first round before falling to eventual
champion Goran Ivanisevic in the second round, while his overall win/loss
record on the surface is an unimpressive 9-13.
Philippoussis on the other hand was runner-up on the lawns of the All
England Club this year, even if he has lost his three most recent matches. He
says he feels relaxed here in his home town of Melbourne, more so than he was
for the Davis Cup semifinal here against Switzerland because he feels his
preparation has been better, and the surface suits him more.
The Australian leads their head-to-head record 4-2, with his four wins
having come on faster hard surfaces, while Moya’s – in their two most
recent matches – having come on slower clay.
Saturday’s doubles will, as expected, pit Todd Woodbridge and Wayne
Arthurs against the relatively untried partnership of Alex Corretja and
Feliciano Lopez. Corretja explained that his job will be to help Lopez relax
and try to play his best tennis.
Woodbridge, meanwhile, said that he felt that he and Arthurs’ greater experience of playing together would help them, especially now that they know how each other will react under pressure. If he does play, Woodbridge will take sole possession of the record for most number of ties played for Australia: he is currently tied with Adrian Quist on 28.
Sunday is more of an unknown quantity. It is still possible under Davis Cup rules to substitute players for the reverse singles, so Lopez could come in to face either Philippoussis or Hewitt. Much depends on whether the tie is alive, how the players will have fared in Friday’s singles and Saturday’s doubles, and whether the Spanish camp feel they can risk Lopez in what will be a massively pressurised situation.
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