A Debut Put in Perspective
It was never going to be routine, not when the name John McEnroe was in the same sentence with the words “U.S. Davis Cup captain” and certainly not when he drew the journey of all journeys, a first-round trip to Zimbabwe.
He arrived for the three-day competition, which starts today, a little light--minus an injured Pete Sampras and an ailing Todd Martin.
“I was going crazy for two days,” McEnroe said.
Briefly rendered speechless by the Sampras news last week--yes, speechless--McEnroe regained his equanimity on a visit to Victoria Falls. His sense of humor survived too, after Thursday’s draw on the manicured lawns of the State House.
“It’s a great moment for me. . . . Like Andre [Agassi] said about how well the people have treated us,” he said. “Maybe they’re setting us up for something we don’t know about.”
Well, there was that mysterious power outage against Chile during Zimbabwe’s most recent home match. Davis Cup by candlelight, anyone?
The darkness was not some subtle bit of gamesmanship designed to unnerve Marcelo Rios. Instead, the country is mired in a deepening economic crisis. A fuel shortage has turned serious in recent weeks, leading to rationing and long lines at gas stations in the city and outlying areas. An American motorcade on its way to a tennis clinic in the township of Chitungwiza on Wednesday went past several stations along the route, all with sizable lines of frustrated motorists.
Hundreds of giddy children from local schools were at the four-court complex in the impoverished community. Boys and girls from Dudzai Primary School, clad in green uniforms, rushed toward a reporter who was taking their picture, squealing with delight, and pleading for one more shot.
McEnroe took in the frantic scene for more than an hour, watching youngsters wearing Arsenal soccer jerseys and Oakland A’s T-shirts, and, wearing no shoes on a concrete court.
Suddenly, his dream, his debut as Davis Cup captain, was unfolding in a much different manner than he had envisioned.
“This puts it in perspective,” he said. “This is the best facility they have around here. The match doesn’t seem quite as do-or-die.”
McEnroe, the diplomat, scoffed at the American contribution to the facility, saying. “The United States paid for one court--big deal. One out of four courts.”
He could not have been more serious.
“You see how it’s virtually impossible to have a chance,” McEnroe said. “Half these guys didn’t have sneakers. Someone had one sneaker and socks. If, by some chance, maybe you can inspire one person that can fight his way out and get a chance to inspire some other person. The problem is that it’s going to take a long time.”
For McEnroe and others in the delegation, the trip has been a dizzying study in contrasts. A day after the clinic, the draw at the well-secured State House was held with government officials on hand, among them President Robert Mugabe and his wife. And a world away from the township clinic is the graceful home of Don Black, the architect of his sons’ tennis careers. Byron and Wayne Black, who both attended USC, are the top players for Zimbabwe.
They learned to play on Don’s well-tended four grass courts. Now, Don, who bears a faint resemblance to Ernest Hemingway, teaches tennis to diplomats, youngsters and intends to stay put, no matter how unstable the situation grows in his country.
“They can take your farm, they can take your home, but they can’t take your backhand,” said Don, who played at Wimbledon in the ‘50s and ‘60s. “I’ll die here, whatever happens.”
The younger of the Black brothers, Wayne, will play in the first singles match against top-ranked Agassi, the newly crowned Australian Open champion. That match will be followed by Byron Black against U.S. Davis Cup rookie Chris Woodruff.
Woodruff, who is replacing Sampras, lost to Byron Black in their only meeting, last year in three sets at Toulouse, France. Agassi is 2-0 against Wayne Black.
On Saturday, the doubles could feature Wayne Black and Kevin Ullyett against Americans Alex O’Brien and Rick Leach. Leach and O’Brien have never played together. Leach’s father, Dick, coached the Black brothers at USC. The reverse singles will be played Sunday.
Rick Leach is making his first Davis Cup appearance since 1997, filling in for Martin. He already has noticed a difference under McEnroe, who is his third captain.
“Whatever he says to you, you listen,” said Leach, who won the Australian Open men’s doubles title last week with Ellis Ferreira of South Africa. “He brings an intensity that I haven’t seen on any of the other Davis Cup teams with my other captains. He’s putting his whole heart into it.”
That was evident when McEnroe got the phone call from Sampras last week, telling him he had a torn hip muscle. Within two days, McEnroe had lost the Wimbledon champion, Sampras, and a U.S. Open finalist, Martin.
“I was with my wife and friends and I couldn’t hear him that well. I didn’t want to hear it also,” McEnroe said. “It was the opposite of what people thought I would do: ‘What are you talking about!’ In reality, I was . . . “
Speechless?
“Yes,” he said, smiling. “I felt like my 4-year-old.”
He was asked if he had considered putting himself in the lineup.
“For me to actually play, I’d have to decide before the draw Thursday, I’d have to tell Ricky Leach, ‘Listen, by the way, I’m going to step in,’ ” McEnroe said. “As big as my ego may be, I hope it’s not that big.”
McEnroe’s wife and children are at home. But his father and mother made the trip to watch their son’s coaching debut.
“I certainly was of the view this should happen,” John McEnroe Sr. said. “I believe it should have happened sooner. Happily, we’ve had some people in the USTA in recent years with a more enlightened view, in my judgment. They picked John and I don’t think they’ll be sorry.”
But the first Davis Cup trip to Africa for the United States had the new captain readjusting his thinking after the visit to the Chitungwiza township.
“It seems like it’s set up like there are 2.9 strikes against them,” McEnroe said of the youngsters. “The odds are overwhelming. If it inspired a boom in tennis--this match--even if we didn’t succeed, I could look back and say it was a success.”
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Davis Cup
FIRST ROUND
U.S. vs. Zimbabwe
TV: ESPN2 (delay)
Today, 9 a.m.
Saturday, 7 a.m.
Sunday, 11:30 a.m.
