Mr. Ed's Champs & Chumps (October 27, 2001)
by Ed Zafian



This week, there is finally a reprieve for one of Mr. Ed's favorite "chumps" and then we raise an eyebrow for the USTA's decision to withdraw from the upcoming Federation Cup final.

Champs
A Champ For a Favorite Chump

Anna Kournikova has not often made it on the "Champs" side of this column. But I have to admit that even I have felt a little sorry for Kournikova over the past several months. While the Russian has spent most of her career dodging questions regarding her lack of tournament titles, of late more attention has been been focused on simply winning a match. This week in Luxembourg, she marked her first Tour victories since coming back from a stubborn foot injury with wins over Jana Kandarr and Daniela Hantuchova (before falling to Kim Clijsters in a tight quarterfinal match).

Adding to Kournikova's more recent woes was her short-lived doubles reunion with Martina Hingis. The former "Spice Girls" of tennis world won the Kremlin Cup doubles crown earlier this month before an ankle injury at Filderstadt sidelined Hingis for the rest of the year. In other news, Kournikova dispelled some nasty rumors that she was ready to become a "Bond girl" in the next film installment of the spy series. Not a bad move Anna, Hollywood can wait a few more years.

So let's give Kournikova, so maligned for being more surface than substance, some credit for her perseverance during her rocky comeback. Unable to qualify for the year-end Sanex Championships, the Russian could have easily just packed it up for the rest of the year. No doubt it has to be frustrating for any athlete to get back on their feet (quite literally in this case) and especially under a more intense media scrutiny. After a fairly successful campaign last year, let's hope that in 2002 the headlines are once again wondering when, or dare I even say if, Kournikova will win a title.


Chumps
Fed Up?

"Chumps" this week goes to the USTA for their decision to pull the US Federation Cup team out of this year's final. The matches are scheduled to take place from November 7-11 in Madrid, Spain. Apparently, the USTA's decision to withdraw came after input from captain Billie Jean King and undisclosed group of players and government officials. Despite many American WTA players already in Europe and competing in the final tournaments of this year's season including the Sanex Championships in Munich, it was deemed "inadvisable" that the Americans compete as a "team."

Rafael Font de Mora, coach of Meghann Shaughnessy and often outspoken critic of the USTA, is not buying into the official released statements. Font de Mora stated the reasons he sees for the withdrawal, from the inability to put together a team consisting of the very top ranked American players (due to both security concerns and injuries) to an unwillingness to play on the clay surface to potential personality conflicts with Coach King.

Before the official withdrawal, Font de Mora and Shaughnessy were preparing for a potential first time Fed Cup appearance for the 12th ranked American. Font de Mora believes there are many Americans players willing to represent the country, just not the "right" ones in the eyes of King or the USA. He went on further to say that there is no better time to show one's patriotism than by participation in Fed Cup. This is where I agree with Font de Mora. King and the USTA should take a cue from the American Davis Cup team, which did not recently put up what would be considered an "elite" team. As two-time defending Fed Cup champs, it would have been a great show of support and allegiance for the Fed Cup team to compete and represent the US abroad.


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