Tennis : Buss Hopes to Bring Davis Cup Event to Forum

You might say that Jeanie Buss’ push to bring a Davis Cup event back to Southern California--more specifically to the Forum--is a venture in contingencies.

The key word here is if .

If the United States manages to get past Paraguay in Asuncion this March. If the West Germans can beat a slew of Spanish clay courters, in Spain. If the USTA decides the Los Angeles market would embrace the event with enthusiasm.

Besides that last contingency, there are other financial concerns to consider. Since last August, Buss has been having conversations about the event with Louisiana Pacific’s Brian Parrott, who was the director of staging for the Davis Cup.

Then, the USTA cut its ties with the company and decided to handle the staging duties by itself. At this point, it is unknown how the financial aspects will be handled.

“I would do anything to get the Davis Cup here,” said Buss, the president of Forum Tennis. “And my dad (Jerry) is excited about it, too. Now we have to see if we can convince the USTA.”

Buss said that the USTA is worried about the Los Angeles area being a “fickle tennis market.” That belief is based on the sparse turnout at the tennis events during the 1984 Olympics, according to Buss.

“They don’t want to be embarrassed,” she said of the USTA. “And they wouldn’t not want to have a sellout. (Obtaining the Davis Cup) would be a real challenge.”

But the Davis Cup and the tennis exhibitions during the Olympics are entirely different entities. Tennis was a non-medal event in 1984, and the winners, Stefan Edberg and Steffi Graf, were largely unknown at that time.

One would think that a Davis Cup match between the United States and West Germany would fill the place. John McEnroe against Boris Becker in the deciding match?

“A promoter’s dream,” said Buss.

If it comes off.

When McEnroe was forced to withdraw from this week’s Australian Open because of a back injury, it probably didn’t come as a surprise to folks at the Forum. After all, McEnroe is scheduled to play there against Edberg Jan. 26.

Call it the Forum curse.

Almost from Day 1, the Michelin Challenge Series has been beset by mishaps. Often, the advertised card never comes off because of a last-minute injury. But there is hope for McEnroe as the match still is a couple of weeks away.

“He hasn’t said anything about not playing,” said Buss.

And, what if he can’t play?

“I’d kill myself,” Buss said, laughing.

Finally, it looks as if the Australian Open should gain a measure of stability. Instead of ending the long, long tennis season, it will kick off the long, long tennis season.

So, who has the best chance of winning it all at Melbourne’s Kooyong Stadium?

The women’s title: Martina Navvratilova, hands down. A possible dark horse, if Navratilova should falter, is Helena Sukova.

The men’s title: Despite a first-round loss last year, Boris Becker has to be favored on a grass court anywhere . Pat Cash, who single-handedly led the Aussies to a Davis Cup title over Sweden, could be a factor.

Stats, stats and more stats: Yes, even tennis can get overloaded with statistics on occasion. But here are some of the more notable ones of 1986, courtesy of the Association of Tennis Professionals.

Did you know that Ivan Lendl won 76% of his matches in straight sets last year? Or, that Brad Gilbert, 4-0; McEnroe, 3-0, and Ramesh Krishnan, 2-0, had the best records in tournament finals? And, in a true test of knowledge, what was the longest match, in number of games, in 1986?

Seventy-seven games. Paul Annacone and Ken Flach defeated Cash and John Fitzgerald in Davis Cup competition last fall. That match lasted 4 hours 56 minutes.

Just call it Trivial Pursuit, tennis style.

Tennis Notes

In the preseason women’s collegiate poll, four California teams are among the top 10. Stanford, which won the NCAA title in 1986, is No. 1. Last year’s runner-up, USC, is tied with Miami for second. The three other teams are California, No. 5; San Diego State, No. 8, and UCLA, No. 9. Although Monique Javer of San Diego State is the top-rated individual, that will likely change because she lost in the first round of the National Collegiate tournament last weekend at Cathedral City. NCCA champion Patty Fendick of Stanford is ranked fourth. During last weekend’s tournament, Fendick defeated second-ranked Caroline Kuhlman of USC in the semifinals, and beat her own teammate, freshman Lisa Green, in the title match.