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by Ed Zafian Welcome to a new On The Line column - "The Line Judge." This rotating column (another to be announced soon!) will take a look at some of the more interesting quotes coming out of the both the men's and women's tour today. We will then turn a critical eye at the "line" and examine the situation a bit more closely. As always, your feedback and comments are welcome! John McEnroe's Line: "I wouldn't say upset (I am upset), no ... It doesn't mean you're not a classy guy if you don't do it. It means that you are if you do do it." This was the final exclamation point to John McEnroe's first stint as coach of the USA Davis Cup team. The outspoken McEnroe is never one to shy away from controversy, but his series of attacks on Sampras's withdrawal from the first round match has not been pretty. The verbal slings started the moment Sampras pulled out with an injury (graphically explained by doctors at a press conference during the Australian Open) with McEnroe intimating that Sampras never wanted to make the trip to Zimbabwe in the fir st place. While I have been critical in the past of Sampras's lack of commitment to early rounds of Davis Cup, the treatment he is getting from the new coach is uncalled for. McEnroe's comments (like the above backhanded insult) are simply counterproductive. One wonders if McEnroe's take would have been different if it had been Andre Agassi who had withdrawn from the Davis Cup tie. My thoughts are that McEnroe's "walk on water" mentality with Agassi (who, in the past, has had his own issues with USA Davis Cup) surely would have yielded a different response. Davis Cup is supposed to be about patriotism and camaraderie. Unfortunately, this passion is often misdirected away from the "team" and aimed at individuals. The USA is not alone in this respect as Germany and Australia have had their share of Davis Cup drama. Chris Woodruff's fifth-match victory and Agassi's success despite phys ical problems should have been McEnroe's sole focus. Instead we are all left, with a bad taste in our mouths over Sampras's absence. The Dokic Camp's Line: "She will not play in the Olympics, but we can't tell nothing to anybody" Just when you thought Jelena Dokic and her family could not immerse themselves deeper into the fire this is the latest as reported by Sydney's Daily Telegraph newspaper. The reason is not an overtly political one, but simply noted that the family would be on an European vacation during that time. Further details were not available as her brother noted that Jelena (and most certainly her father) would be selling the story to a magazine. The Dokic clan seem have this disturbing inclination to stir up more o ff-court "news." This latest Dokic story line is just another paragraph (in the growing Dokic "chapter") of media nightmares that regularly plague the women's tour. This list is a long one (Graf, Pierce, Capriati, Lucic, Williams, and Stevenson to name a few) and the lesson learned is that the "off court" only puts more pressure and expectations "on court." While many have prevailed, it is a difficult road, especially for a player so early in her career. Whether Dokic will be at the Sydney Games in September is incidental at this time. With accusations of draw rigging and put-downs of her opponent after a first round Australian Open loss still smoldering, the Dokic family needs to learn to put out one fire before starting another. |