With the noise of the boisterous Spanish crowd still ringing in John Newcombe's ears, the tennis season is finally winding down.

Around the globe, many of the stars of the game are taking part in exhibitions and national championships that make us shake our head. The players are constantly complaining of the long season, but it seems some of them can't get enough!

Most of the Spanish stars who led their squad to claiming their first Davis Cup "ensaladera" (salad bowl) were fulfilling their obligations to compete in the Spanish Masters in Madrid. Weary after a week of partying and interviews, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Albert Costa were early casualties.

The only Davis Cup hero to survive the post-victory celebrations was Alex Corretja, who got enough of a second wind to reach the finals, where he will play the man controversially left off the championship squad, Carlos Moya.

Moya is arguably the most talented of the young generation of Spanish players, and it will be interesting to see how he rebounds next year from an injury-plagued campaign. The same can be said of two other short-term number ones from the last two years, Pat Rafter and Marcelo Rios, who should in principle have some good tennis left in them if their bodies ? and in Rios's case, his brain ? allow.