McEnroe’s Cup Possibilities Have More Than Doubled

John McEnroe found himself scrambling before the Davis Cup matches in Zimbabwe, working the phones after the late withdrawals of Pete Sampras and Todd Martin.

The choices were so few, Captain Mac was toying with the idea of, well, putting himself in the lineup. Now, at least for the moment, he is overwhelmed with choices for the April 7-9 quarterfinals against the Czech Republic at the Great Western Forum.

Two spots remain, barring another injury to Sampras or Andre Agassi’s heading off in his car back to Las Vegas.

There are at least five players who could contend for those two slots--doubles partners Alex O’Brien and Jared Palmer, doubles specialist Rick Leach, Zimbabwe savior Chris Woodruff and Martin.

Martin, once ruled out because of a serious ankle injury, is no longer completely out of the question. Woodruff looked like a certainty after his Harare heroics but has won only one match in his last three tournaments. At least that lone victory, at Scottsdale, Ariz., was against Slava Dosedel of the Czech Republic.

Leach won the Australian Open doubles championship with partner Ellis Ferreria of South Africa, but lost in Zimbabwe with O’Brien. Palmer won in Scottsdale with Richey Reneberg and looked formidable at Indian Wells. Palmer and O’Brien won the Indian Wells tournament, losing only one set, and Palmer became the No. 1-ranked doubles player in the ATP Entry System.

“All we can do is try our best and hope that Mac sees that,” O’Brien said. “I think Mac is just waiting a bit to see how things pan out.”

Said Palmer, “In Australia, it was a tough call. You had three guys playing good doubles. There I didn’t feel like I was playing myself into a position to be selected. Now, with this result and with the No. 1 thing, I guess I’d be disappointed if I don’t get picked.”

O’Brien won the U.S. Open and ATP World Doubles Championship with Sebastien Lareau of Canada last year but decided to play with Palmer this year because of Davis Cup and the Olympics. They are looking for answers--and apparently not finding any--about the Olympics. Palmer and O’Brien said they have not been told how the Olympic doubles team will be selected.

“We feel like we said to the USTA, ‘We have committed to do this, to play doubles together for Davis Cup and Olympics,’ ” O’Brien said. “And it isn’t like we haven’t done well, so all we really want is for somebody to tell us how this works.”

Agassi said he wants to play singles in Sydney, but Sampras does not want to make the long trip to Australia.

VANISHING ACT

Who would guess that Steffi Graf and Venus Williams have played the same number of tournaments in 2000?

The number is zero, but at least Graf has an excuse. She retired last year.

Some wonder if Williams is about to join her. Williams has been in exile since the season-ending Chase Championships in November, apparently loving her new life as a student at a fashion school in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

First, the official injury was tendinitis in her left wrist. She took some time off. And then came the news it was both wrists.

Williams was scheduled to go on a conference call with more than 20 reporters earlier this year, and withdrew at the last minute without a credible explanation.

At Indian Wells, her sister Serena said Venus was practicing again but even then veteran Williams watchers had been predicting a withdrawal from the Ericsson Open, underway now in Florida. They were right.

Until she returns, the lasting public image is a glum-faced older sister watching her younger sister win the U.S. Open.

QUOTE, UNQUOTE

* “Once you get off the court, you are friends. [Carlos] Moya, [Felix] Mantilla, [Juan Carlos] Ferrero. We’re human beings, no? I believe we are not machines.”

--Alex Corretja on the closeness of the Spanish players.

* “The worse I play, the people like me more. I don’t know why.”

--Goran Ivanisevic, the slumping crowd favorite.

* “[He] walks a fine line between being clever and being insane.

“You never know what you are going to get when he walks out. . . . He has a sort of energy about him that you can’t describe, but it sort of rubs off on everybody.”

--O’Brien on McEnroe.

LOCALLY

Pepperdine will host the NCAA Division I women’s tournament in May. The nine-day event will consist of team competition and individual play. The team event is May 18-21, followed by singles and doubles competition May 22-26.

The university is looking for volunteer help. Details: (310) 456-4970.

The Ojai Valley Tennis Club is hosting an evening at the Ojai Valley Inn, celebrating the 100th Ojai tennis tournament and the Wall of Fame honorees April 29. Vic Braden will be the master of ceremonies. Tickets are $75 each.

There also will be a Pacific 10 alumni party at the Ojai Valley Museum on April 9, starting at 2 p.m. The museum is at 130 West Ojai Ave. Tickets are $25. Details: Tony Thacher at (805) 646-6765.

*

Sports Editor Bill Dwyre contributed to this column.