TENNIS: AUSTRALIA, DAVIS CUP NO. 27
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It is well known that in all types of sport every
team, when having the occasion of making the most of the fact of playing
at home, will look for all the shrewdest tricks to its advantage. In the
world of tennis, and particularly the Davis Cup, we can mention the case
of Italy which, while not having top players, has often managed to win
over stronger rivals taking full advantage of the fact of playing at home.
In the final played in the last season against Sweden, even without Gaudenzi
who had got injured, Italy almost won the cup thanks to only one away victory
out of four matches played.
The 1999 event had a "noble" conclusion, when
considering the origins of the world most prestigious competition among
countries. In fact, France and Australia, the two opponents, can boast
a very successful curriculum and between the 1920s and 1930s they were
the absolute protagonists in the field of tennis, together with the USA.
This year, in the indoor stadium of Nice, it
was the French team that could make the most of the fact of playing at
home, obviously also choosing the playing court, which is undoubtedy the
most important and decisive factor for the success of a team.
Nowadays, it happens more and more frequently
that a national team chooses the playing ground not taking into account
the skills of its players, but instead taking into account the weak point
of their opponents. This is the most evident demonstration of how the Cup
has changed in the last few decades. In the past, all the world best players
took part in this competition; now that many strong players decide not
to participate, the country that organizes the tournament has all the time
to choose the type of playing court that best fits its players. It is right
the case of France which, not having first-rate tennis players, chose to
play the final on the hard court, counting upon the fact the Australians
are not used to playing on this kind of court.
In fact, traditionally the "Ozies" have some
difficulty in adapting their mainly offensive playing schemes, particularly
fit for the grass court, the most popular type of ground in Australia,
to European hard courts. Yet, the Nice tournament rewarded the agonistic
skills and the spirit of the Australian team, which was able to win for
the 27th time in the history of the Davis Cup.
The three-day French tournament had a turning
point during the doubles of the second day, which was played and won by
the team led by Newcombe. But the decisive point was gained by Philippoussis
over Pioline during the match between the two top players.
Having to do without its strongest player, i.e.
Par Rafter, who was operated on a shoulder, Australia has however turned
out to be stronger than the French team, confirming its supremacy over
France only a few weeks after the victory of Australians in the world rugby
championship. Having settled the disputes between Philippoussis and team-leader
Newcombe, Australia has now become a team that will be very difficult to
beat in the next few years, thanks also to Rafter's return. It is only
to be hoped that the Australians continue to keep their very strong patriotic
spirit alive, therefore not deciding to lengthen the list of defections
of champions (Sampras, Agassi, Becker), which lately have contributed to
making this event less selective, to the full advantage of more ordinary
teams (for example Italy). |
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