Cup Does Runneth Over For Black Bros., Zimbabwe

By LISA DILLMAN

April 19, 1998 12 AM PT

Nestled among the avocado and banana trees on 25 acres of land in Zimbabwe were four grass courts and one cement court.

Those were the seeds of a father’s dream years ago, and Don Black’s vision flowered into national pride earlier this month after his sons pulled off a stunning victory.

Zimbabwe, a newcomer in the Davis Cup World Group, was facing a Davis Cup team with a legendary past and formidable present. Australia has won the Davis Cup 26 times and reached the semifinals in 1997.

After Byron Black defeated Jason Stoltenberg in the fifth and deciding match, Black wished his 70-year-old father Don could have seen the history-making moment. And it all started on the cement court when the grass courts were too wet with dew.

“He [Don] called it the only cement court in the world surrounded by banana trees,” Byron Black said. “They have these huge floodlights. If you look at it from a couple of miles away, it looks lit up like a castle. It’s pretty spectacular.”

Byron and his younger brother Wayne--who both played for USC--are the whole Zimbabwe team and the two had pulled off one of the biggest Davis Cup upsets. Byron is ranked 67th and Wayne is 71st.

“He [Don] was the one getting Wayne and I out of bed at 5:20 every morning for 15 years when we were living at home, rain or shine,” Byron Black said by telephone last week from Tokyo. “We owe a lot to him. I think he was ecstatic when we won. He played with some of the Australian greats in the ‘50s--[Roy] Emerson and [Rod] Laver. He knows what it is like to beat the Aussie team.”

The impact was immediate.

Wayne Black, who beat Mark Woodforde in four sets to even the tie at 2-2, was mobbed on the tarmac when he returned home to Zimbabwe and was carried out of the airport.

As for the future?

“Davis Cup is the only way our youngsters and the whole country can get to see any top-class tennis,” Byron Black said. “We don’t have the money to hold big tournaments. So the Davis Cup has a huge impact on the youth back home. Thousands of kids are starting up.

“If you dream the impossible, the impossible will come true. And that’s what happened. It’s unbelievable.”

While the brothers were inspired, the Aussie contingent was embroiled in turmoil. Mark Philippoussis showed up but did not play, and his movements were recorded in great detail, with one reporter calling him “Sillippoussis” in print. Woodforde, the doubles standout, was pressed into service when Patrick Rafter was felled by a virus, and lashed out at Philippoussis.

“Looking back, they had a lot of little problems,” Byron Black said. “I think the whole Philippoussis thing was silly. It didn’t need to happen. They let the press got ahold of it and instead of talking to each other face to face, they sort of went through the press. A little problem turned into a big problem.”

And Zimbabwe, not Australia, will be playing Italy in the quarterfinals in July.

For Byron Black, the Davis Cup success immediately carried over to the ATP tour. A day after the Australian match, he went to Hong Kong and promptly reached the finals [losing to Kenneth Carlsen of Denmark] and he won the doubles.

Next was Tokyo. Black won five matches to reach the finals, where he will play Andrei Pavel of Romania. Interestingly enough, his doubles partner in Tokyo is none other than Rafter.

The No. 4-ranked Rafter lost to Byron Black on the first day and then withdrew because of a virus. In Tokyo, the Davis Cup match has not been mentioned, at least directly.

“We’re all good friends,” Black said. “This week his name is Virus. The press down there was every day saying, ‘Is he going to play, what about the virus?’ Now I’m just calling him Virus.”

Black had been struggling earlier this year and the Davis Cup experience changed everything.

“That was a big confidence lifter and it was huge for us,” he said. “Often before, when I’ve played Davis Cup, there’s so much pressure on that weekend, you go to the next tournament not expecting much. But you’re match tough, and it sort of carries you through.”

He is hoping for a quieter return when he comes home to Zimbabwe, and plans on relaxing by playing another sport.

“Now, it’s funny, he [Don] built us a soccer pitch in the orchard,” Black said. “It’s like a field of dreams. So now when I go home, I don’t play tennis. And now instead of watching us play tennis, he comes and watches our soccer games.”

RIOS REIGN WILL END

It was going to be difficult for Marcelo Rios of Chile to maintain his tenuous hold on No. 1 even before he withdrew from the upcoming event in Monte Carlo because of a sore left elbow.

Rios, the defending champion, would have needed to win the event to retain the top spot. According to ATP officials, Rios will drop to at least No. 4 when the rankings are released after Monte Carlo, on April 27.

He could fall as far as No. 6, depending upon the performance of several players. Pete Sampras, who is No. 2, took a wild-card entry into Monte Carlo and will play either Andre Agassi or Todd Martin in his first match.

Rios tried to practice Friday, but his elbow was too sore. His representatives said he was still going to try to play an event at Hamburg, starting May 4.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

MEN

No. RankingComment

1. Marcelo Rios: Uneasy lies the crown.

2. Pete Sampras: Shapes up by rehiring former trainer.

3. Andre Agassi: Might play Sampras early at Monte Carlo.

4. Petr Korda: Rios’ injury could leave French wide open.

5. Patrick Rafter: Davis Cup disaster Down Under.

6. Yevgeny Kafelnikov: Cup burden too much for one man.

7. Greg Rusedski: Successful sojourn in Newcastle.

8. Tim Henman: Loses to Jan-Michael Vincent namesake.

9. Alex Corretja: Spanish armada member falls in Barcelona.