Boris Becker still enjoys immense popularity in Germany, but his work as Davis Cup captain has come under increasingly critical scrutiny. Most notably, his public dispute with German #1 Nicolas Kiefer, which resulted in Kiefer leaving the squad in a huff, has weakened the German team considerably.

A shuffle at the top of the German tennis federation (DTB) has left the presidency vacant for now, and it will be up to the new president, who will be named on December 23, to decide on Becker's future. But Boris is not twiddling his thumbs while he waits. He has been actively recruiting his former rival (and often bitter enemy) Michael Stich to work with the DTB, and according to the Rheinische Post of Düsseldorf, Boris says their discussions have been "very interesting". I can imagine!

It is hard to guess what role Stich might play in German tennis - he has never appreciated taking a back seat to Becker in the past, and Boris has never been one to relinquish authority - but if Becker can convince Stich that there is a role for him in the DTB and can prove he can work with him, it might save his job. Mending fences with Kiefer would help, too: it was interesting to see Boris at Kiefer's matches at the recent World Championships in Hannover, applauding the young German. But it would be w rong to conclude that this feud is over, as the Rheinische Post reports that their relationship is still very frosty. Kiefer says he will decide in January whether or not he will play Davis Cup.

If a dispatch from the German wire service DPA is to be believed, Kiefer was not the only Hannover participant to be at odds with his country's federation. Citing reliable sources, DPA reported that Gustavo "Guga" Kuerten is so furious with the Brazilian tennis establishment that he is considering boycotting Davis Cup next year. It seems Guga is angry because he has not received all the money he had been promised for participating in Brazil's loss to France in the first round of Davis Cup play this year . Note that Kuerten himself has not said anything publicly about a possible boycott, as far as I can tell.

I am reasonably sure this problem, if it does exist, will be ironed out. Kuerten would have to weigh this decision very carefully, since a refusal to play Davis Cup could jeopardize his participation in the 2000 Olympics. And a boycott by Guga would be a blow to Brazilian tennis: not only because the team would be weakened, but also because the event will be staged in Florianopolis, Kuerten's home town. Ironically, Brazil's first round opponent is France again.

The end of the year always sees some of the best junior talent in Florida, strutting their stuff at major international events. The prestigious Connolly/Sunshine Cup, an international team competition held on the hard courts of Key Biscayne, is in particular often a launching pad for future stars. The powerhouse Russian squad, led by US Open girls' champ Lina Krasnoroutskaia and Nadejda Petrova, easily won the girls' division as expected.

The boys' side saw a mild upset, as second-seeded France upset the favoured Argentines in the final. Nicolas Mahut was particularly impressive, ending the week undefeated and giving the decisive point to his team in the final with a three-set win over a limping Guillermo Coria in what was the match of the tournament. Alas, Coria, the #2 world junior, suffered a hamstring injury in this match and will not be able to play at the Orange Bowl tourney later this month. Krasnoroutskaia also suffered an injury at Key Biscayne (abdominal muscle strain) and is doubtful for the Orange Bowl.

On an individual level, the name that jumped out at me was that of young Lenka Dlhopolcova of the Slovak Republic. Lenka's only loss of the week was in the semifinals, where she took the excellent Krasnoroutskaia to the limit, 6-3; 6-7(5); 6-3. Dlhopolcova, who turned 15 in July, is the youngest player in the top ten of the ITF junior rankings, and won the German Junior Open this year. It would appear she is one to watch!

Fans of the stylish Yayuk Basuki, the Indonesian star who was a fixture in the top 50 for much of the decade and who retired after the 1999 Australian Open, will be pleased to learn that she is making a limited comeback to tennis in 2000. Fresh from giving birth to a bouncing baby boy this fall, Yayuk intends to play the doubles event at the Australian Open in January, where she will likely team with American veteran Nicole Arendt. Basuki also told the Indonesian press that she will visit some tour eve nts with her 18-year-old Indonesian protégée, Wynne Prakusya, the 1998 Australian Open junior runner-up who is taking her first steps on the pro circuit.

Yayuk revealed that she hopes to play both singles and doubles at Wimbledon, the scene of her best career Grand Slam performance (quarterfinal in 1998). Her ultimate goal is to defend Indonesia's colours one last time at the Olympics, where she plans to pair with Prakusya in the doubles event. It will be great to see Basuki, a two-time winner of the WTA Sportsmanship Award, back on tour, however briefly!

Another big name in Asia, Mahesh Bhupathi, will likely not be be joining Basuki in Melbourne for the Australian Open. The Indian press reports that Bhupathi, one half of the world's #1 doubles team with Leander Paes, has undergone shoulder surgery and is expected to be out of action for at least the first month of the season. Could this be the signal of the break-up of the Indian doubles aces? Paes seemed to imply that a split possibly could happen, when he ominously told the Express News Service that h e was seeking a new doubles partner on a "long-term basis or whatever it takes". The Indians' relationship has been strained at times this year and rumours of a split popped up from time to time. But it should be pointed out that the Indian pair always seem to work out their differences....

Just in case anyone was losing sleep over the unanswered questions in our last column regarding the surprise finalist in November's Italian nationals, 717th ranked Giulia Meruzzi.... It seems that Giulia is 17 years old, which makes her exactly half the age of the venerable Gianluca Pozzi. The Italian newspaper La Gazzetta Dello Sport reports that she is regarded as a very promising talent. She is still junior age, so it will be interesting to see how she fares at the junior Grand Slams next year, if th at is the road she decides to travel.

As for the 20-year-old Chilean Nicolas Massu, as soon I vaunt his merits he has the misfortune of suffering an injury on the year-end Challenger circuit that will keep him out of action for a while. "El Vampiro" will be sidelined for at least a month with a slight fracture in one of his vertebrae. Ironically, this the same injury that befell his more famous countryman Rios suffered a year ago, but in Massu's case it is not quite as serious. He will almost certainly miss the Australian Open, for which he would have qualified into the main draw, and perhaps also a February Davis Cup tilt with Canada. Which means that the Canadians might be facing a depleted Chilean team without its two top players, as Rios is also doubtful for the event because of his recent groin surgery.

Happy Holidays to all, and see you next time on January 1 to ring in the year 2000!