Delaitre’s Early Default Creates Controversy

INDIAN WELLS — The early default of Frenchman Olivier Delaitre in the Newsweek Champions Cup brought some early controversy to the tournament Tuesday.

Delaitre, trailing 4-1 in the first set of his match against Australian Darren Cahill, had to be helped off the court and put in a back brace before he was able to leave the premises. He had injured his back Sunday, during the final of a challenger’s tournament at La Quinta in which he retired. As a finalist, he received one of the wild-card spots into the main draw of the Champions Cup, and was cleared to play Tuesday after being examined by a doctor from the ATP Tour.

Nevertheless, some players--especially those who had a shot at the spot in the main draw taken by Delaitre--were angry that he was allowed to play.

Jeff Tarango, the former Stanford star from Manhattan Beach, was the No. 1 “lucky loser,” or the first player to get into the main draw if somebody else withdrew. So Tarango was among the most vocal on the Delaitre situation Tuesday.

“He should have been fined by the ATP for unprofessional conduct,” Tarango said. “What happens is, he goes out there, takes up a spot, picks up the prize money for a first-round loser ($5,175) and also gets a $325-a-night hotel room paid for the rest of the week because he is in the main draw. That’s not right. It was obvious he couldn’t play. I don’t think he got a point in the last three games.”

According to Fred Viancos, manager of the ATP Tour, Delaitre will not be fined.

“The procedure is that if a player withdraws with an injury, he has to be checked by our doctor before he plays in the next event, and that was done with Delaitre Tuesday morning,” Viancos said.

Viancos also said that even if Delaitre had been forced to withdraw because of his injury before playing his match, his hotel cost would have been taken care of, in accordance with ATP rules.

All wild-card entries into the main draw, except for two, were earned through various qualifying tournaments. But Tarango said he thought that tournament officials here do not give enough consideration to Southern California players such as himself.

Charlie Pasarell, tournament director, who gave his two wild cards this year to Mats Wilander and Jim Grabb, said: “I don’t play that way. I try to give this tournament as much of an international flavor as I can.”