| | Associated Press
SAN DIEGO -- U.S. captain John McEnroe added Vince Spadea to
the Davis Cup team Friday, but kept alive the idea that he might
play doubles.
McEnroe said the four-man team that will face Spain in the Davis
Cup semifinals in Santander, Spain next weekend, will be selected
from a group of five players that includes himself.
"We'll practice hard for two or three days," McEnroe said.
"It's a case where it's going to matter what happens in
practice."
Spadea joins Todd Martin, Jan-Michael Gambill, Chris Woodruff
and McEnroe on the team. McEnroe, who last played on the ATP Tour
in 1994, nominated himself for the team after injuries forced
world-ranked No. 1 Andre Agassi and third-ranked Pete Sampras to
withdraw.
McEnroe said Martin and Gambill are guaranteed spots on the team
in either singles, doubles or both. He said the final two spots
will be determined solely by practice results in Spain.
"I'd rather not play," McEnroe said. "There's a part of me
that is excited because I love Davis Cup. But I want to win."
McEnroe said the doubles team will be selected from a group
including himself, Martin and Gambill. McEnroe, named Davis Cup
captain in September, expressed concern with playing the
injury-prone Martin in two singles and a doubles match over three
days.
The decision came after McEnroe spoke to Spadea during the past
three days.
"I wanted to speak to him to see where his head was at," said
McEnroe after a straight-set victory over Andres Gomez in a senior
tour event. "He's been on a terrible run, but he's the type of
player that can pull an upset."
Regardless of the team's makeup, McEnroe still considers the
United States huge "underdogs" against Spain on its favorite
red-clay surface.
"The only good news is that Spain has historically
underachieved and choked," he said. "We'll see if they do it
again."
Sampras, fresh off his record-setting 13th Grand Slam title
after winning Sunday at Wimbledon, pulled out of the Spain tie due
to acute tendinitis above his left ankle.
Agassi, who lost in the Wimbledon semifinals to Patrick Rafter,
strained his back after being involved in an automobile accident
Sunday in Las Vegas.
McEnroe is the most successful player in U.S. Davis Cup history,
having compiled a 41-8 singles record and 18-2 in doubles. McEnroe,
who has appeared in a U.S.-record 30 Davis Cup ties, last played in
the 1992 finals when the Americans defeated Switzerland.
McEnroe led the United States to five Davis Cup titles and
appearances in seven finals. | |
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