McEnroe Quits As Davis Cup Captain

NEW YORK (AP) â€” As Davis Cup captain, John McEnroe's biggest problem was that he didn't have someone like John McEnroe as a player. <br><br>For lack of such a player, one of the best in the world

Monday, November 20th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) â€” As Davis Cup captain, John McEnroe's biggest problem was that he didn't have someone like John McEnroe as a player.

For lack of such a player, one of the best in the world who would put Davis Cup first among his priorities, McEnroe has called it quits after 14 months at the helm of the U.S. team.

``John feels so passionate about Davis Cup and he is a perfectionist,'' U.S. Tennis Association president Judy Levering said Monday. ``He's disappointed with himself.''

But Levering cautioned that McEnroe's resignation was not just the lack of having America's top players ready to play every Davis Cup series.

``He's upset with the format of Davis Cup and feels it keeps the U.S. from doing as well as it could,'' she said. ``It was a combination of things that led to it.''

McEnroe told Levering of his decision over lunch in New York early last week, before he left for Frankfurt, Germany, where he played in a senior tournament.

``We weren't prepared to make a statement then,'' Levering said. ``We didn't want the perception to be he and I were at odds, so we decided to make a joint announcement.

``We pretty much had the announcement on Saturday. I asked to delay it until after the Chase Championships. I didn't think it was right to make the announcement at someone else's event.''

The Chase Championships, the season-ending tournament of the WTA Tour, was completed on Sunday, with Martina Hingis defeating Monica Seles in a close match.

McEnroe declined comment after beating Henri Leconte 6-1, 6-3 in the final of the seniors tour event in Frankfurt Monday. Before the USTA announcement was made, he refused to comment when contacted at his hotel room by The Associated Press.

The resignation of McEnroe, one of the greatest players in Davis Cup history, comes nearly four months after the U.S. team was swept by Spain in the semifinals. He said he was ``extremely frustrated with the difficulties of the scheduling and format of the competition.''

He also was troubled because two of the world's top players, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, were unwilling to fully commit to Davis Cup play.

``I was privileged to have been selected and honored to have served as captain,'' McEnroe said. ``Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons I was disappointed that I was unable to have a great impact as captain of the team.''

Levering appointed McEnroe captain on Sept. 8, 1999, to pump life into an event that does not get nearly as much attention in the United States as it does around the world.

He immediately received a call from Agassi, who said he wanted to be on the team. After much pleading, McEnroe also got Sampras to come aboard. But Sampras pulled out of the first-round series against Zimbabwe, citing a hip injury, which caused the outspoken McEnroe to question Sampras' commitment to Davis Cup.

Agassi won the Australian Open, then flew to Zimbabwe and led the United States to a narrow victory. Agassi and Sampras both played in the next round in Los Angeles, where the Americans barely edged the Czech Republic.

However, the two skipped the semifinals on clay in Spain because of injuries. McEnroe put together a makeshift team that failed to win a match in three days, the first time in 101 years of Davis Cup play that the United States was beaten 5-0 without the title on the line.

``I'm totally spent, I'm deflated,'' McEnroe said at the time.

Signing for three years as captain, McEnroe was set on restoring the lost glory of Davis Cup in the United States. In the 1920s, '30s and '40s, the Davis Cup was among the biggest events on the American sports calendar.

McEnroe brought back some of its popularity in the late 1970s and early '80s, when he helped win four championships in five years. As captain, he thought his name, status and love of the cup would lure the top players.

``Either it's bad luck or I haven't made a difference,'' McEnroe said at the start of the semifinals in Spain.

Levering disagreed.

``I feel he had a terrific impact and brought attention to Davis Cup, not only in the United States but around the world,'' she said. ``In the two ties we won, I'm convinced it was because of John.''

McEnroe believes a month should be set aside for the tournament, creating a ``Davis Cup time'' that players and fans could easily identify.

``I have made it known for many years that the current format is problematic for the world's top players,'' he said. ``It is my hope that the Davis Cup will be restructured so that it can be everything I envision it has the potential to be.''