TOO BAD George Steinbrenner has no Davis Cup affiliations. In USTA president Judy Levering, we’re dealing with the first-ever women’s USTA president, and a white-haired grandma of three.
She will make the decision on the future of U.S. Davis Cup captain Tom Gullikson, whose chances of surviving this past weekend’s quarterfinal horror show against Australia at the Longwood Cricket Club and receiving a contract extension, a source said, are still possible.
Gullikson’s contact expires at the end of the year, and if the Americans were serious about winning another Davis Cup in the near future, Gullikson would be terminated.
After watching him bungle just about every tough situation in Australia’s 4-1 romp over the U.S., it is easy to see why Andre Agassi doesn’t want to play for Gully again after last year’s well-documented fiasco regarding the controversial site for the semifinal vs. Italy.
With Gully running the ship since 1994, the Americans have won exactly one Davis Cup, and none in the past four years. That’s not exactly the type of resume that should keep captain wannabe John McEnroe on the outside.
Clearly, Gullikson has the most difficult Davis Cup captaincy position in the world, dealing with sizable American egos and recruiting for a yearly tournament that is not nearly as hyped in the U.S. as it is in the rest of the world.
That is precisely why the job should be in the firmer hands of McEnroe, who would instantly give USA more credibility and perhaps a much-needed public-relations pop.
Gullikson’s lack of pull was exposed by his failure to convince Pete Sampras before Thursday’s draw to play the two singles matches. Sampras kept to his bizarre demand of just competing in doubles for reasons that were silly and hard to fathom.
Gullikson should have told Sampras that the captain – not the players – makes the decisions in Davis Cup.
Letting Sampras rule the roost wasn’t Gullikson’s biggest sin during the past weekend. On Saturday night, a desperate Gullikson pulled the boneheaded maneuver of telling the press before he told Todd Martin that he was considering using Sampras in singles the following day because Martin was suffering from heat exhaustion.
That glaring lack of common sense ultimately cost the U.S. from making the substitution when Martin truly was feeling a touch of heat exhaustion Sunday morning during a warmup before his do-or-die match against Patrick Rafter.
Minutes after Gullikson told the press Saturday evening Martin may be too ill to compete, a reporter from The Australian spotted Martin going to a practice court. Martin told the reporter he was fine, planned to play and knew nothing of Gullikson’s concerns.
Gullikson’s explanation was weak. He said he planned to consult with Martin on Saturday night but the reporter “beat me to the punch.” Inexcusable.
Martin and Gullikson had it out Saturday night. Martin admitted to being “very upset” about Gullikson’s public concerns regarding his physical fitness. Sadly, Gullikson was prophetic and Martin did feel sick Sunday morning during a warmup, but how much of that was caused by stress in the wake of Saturday night?
Sampras, sounding like someone trying to save Gullikson’s job, said on Saturday, “Tom has been getting killed in the press about me not playing and it’s not fair. It was my choice. My relationship with Tom over the years is why I am here.”
Sampras’ actions are louder than his words. He didn’t come to Gullikson’s cause Thursday when needed most. Asked about his status, Gullikson said, “Who knows? It’s not my call.”
It’s Levering’s call. Where’s Steinbrenner when you need him?
