Sampras doubtful for Davis Cup

the US team is expected to be announced on Wednesday.

Sampras, who turns 29 next month, has had an uneasy relationship with Davis captain Mcnroe, who has questioned Sampras’s grit in battling through injury and his commitment to Davis Cup in terms of how he arranges his playing schedule.

“John and I have had our moments of miscommunication,” said Sampras. “but we’ve cleared the air.”

Asked if he had already discussed his current predicament with Mcenroe, Sampras said curtly: ”no, not really. We haven’t talked in a while.”

Rafter wants to patch up
BRISBANE: Wimbledon finalist Pat Rafter wants to patch up his latest rift with Australian teammate Mark Philippoussis after this weekend’s Davis Cup tennis semi-final with Brazil here.

Rafter criticised Philippoussis for `jerking’ the Australian team around following the scud’s late withdrawal last weekend from the tie citing an inflammed knee.

The dual US Open champion stood by his comments when he arrived here late on Tuesday after playing Pete Sampras in the Wimbledon final on Sunday.

But Rafter also offered a conciliatory message to Philippoussis, saying he hoped they would again join forces in Davis Cup.

“Everything I’ve said about Mark has been said,” Rafter said.

“Hopefully we’ll sort out something after this Davis ccup because it would be nice to settle it all down.”

Asked if he would play Davis Cup again with Philippoussis, he said: “yeah, again we need to sort out a lot of things.”

The absence of Philippoussis means Rafter will probably play singles against French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten on Friday, two and a half days after jetting in from London.

He’s also likely to team with Mark Woodforde in the doubles on Saturday in a test of endurance.

The Australians, including Woodforde who arrived in the early hours on Wednesday, spent more than four hours at ANZ Stadium and worked out on the makeshift centre court in the afternoon. The draw for the semi-final will be conducted on Thursday.

Scud returns fire on critics
MELBOURNE: Embattled Mark Philippoussis said on Wedneday that he was frustrated and upset at Pat Rafter’s criticisms of his late withdrawal from Australia’s Davis Cup team for this weekend’s tennis semi-final against Brazil.

Speaking here for the first time about the furore, Philippousis accused teammate rafter of being uninformed about the issue. “I think that Pat’s been uninformed. He’s had his shoulder problems and he hasn’t played Davis Cup or he’s played only doubles,” Philippoussis said on television.

“He couldn’t play five sets or singles. I understand that, but thank god now, he seems fine.”

Philippoussis, who played two tough five-setters at Wimbledon in the past fortnight, said he was taken aback by the reaction to his withdrawal decision. “I don’t understand why everything has been blown out of proportion. It’s frustrating and upsetting to me to see these things in the newspapers.”

Romanians fear Harare backlash
BUCHAREST: Romania’s Davis Cup players are worried about travelling to Harare for this weekend’s World Group play-off tie. After last week’s tragedy in the National football stadium where 13 people died in a stampede after police fired tear gas into the crowd, they fear that another international sporting event could produce a similar reaction.

Romanian Tennis Federation general secretary Lucian Vasiliu said the players `fear for their safety’ but he tried to reassure them by pointing out: “the matches will be played indoors where the security forces will be better able to insure the players’ safety.”

Federation Chairman, Ilie Nastase, had called for the tie to be played on neutral ground due to violence in Zimbabwe during the build-up to the recent elections, but he announced on Wednesday that he would accompany the team to Harare.

The Romanian team consists of Andrei Pavel, Dinu Pescariu, Gabriel Trifu, Razvan Sabau. The winners of the tie will remain in the elite top 16 group, with the losers relegated to the zonal second division.