November 29, 2007
Past Davis Cup captains reflect on finals
By Joel Drucker
PORTLAND, Ore. --- Former Davis Cup captain Tom Gorman was at the helm for more ties than any other American captain in Cup history during his nine-year tenure (1985-93), leading the team to victories in 1990 and 1992. That '92 final in Forth Worth -- attended by 10-year-old Andy Roddick --- was the last time America hosted the Cup finals. Gorman also played in two final rounds, including a highly contentious one in 1972 in Bucharest, Romania.
Former captain Tom Gullikson held the reigns for six years starting in 1994, during which time the U.S. won its most recent title --- versus this week's opponent, Russia.
On the eve of this week's Davis Cup final, each captain shared his thoughts with ESPN.com on the unique challenges of the Davis Cup and being a coach in an individual sport.
Question: How unique and what is the atmosphere around the finals like?
Gorman: It's the Super Bowl. You like to think you'll get there a lot, but you know that's probably not the reality, so there's exceptional urgency to everything you do.
Gullikson: You're playing for history --- to get your name forever on that magnificent Davis Cup trophy. That's one of the most special trophies in all of sport.
Q: What's the captain's mission?
Gorman: I learned a lot from when I played for Dennis Ralston. It's less about coaching and more about managing the environment. I was in the job when a lot more players' coaches became part of the game. And entourages. And so I had to understand what each particular player needed when it came to practice time and how they liked to be coached. Pete Sampras had Tim Gullikson, Jim Courier had Jose Higueras, Andre Agassi had Nick Bollettieri, Michael Chang had his brother Carl. All these guys knew a lot --- but communicated it in very different ways. I had to be comfortable in all of those languages. Just to give you an idea, at the 1990 Davis Cup finals, Andre was then into hitting very casually and very briefly --- and I was his hitting partner, a decade after I'd left the tour.
Gullikson: Andre changed for sure. By the time I was captain, he liked to bring a lot of energy to practice, loved to get out there, get pumped up and play baseline games --- and he loved to win them. Gor is right: It's very much about creating the right atmosphere, one that's both comfortable and focused as required by each player. For example, Jim was pretty intense, too, the true Davis Cup warrior. He'd be stretching at 8:30 and be rocking that first ball at 9 a.m. sharp with two practice partners. If they weren't focused, Jim would bark at them. And then in the afternoon, he'd play two or three sets and then rip up the gym for 90 minutes. By Wednesday at lunch, I'd mention the concept of tapering.
Q: And Sampras was quite different.
Gullikson: Pete would show up around 10:30-10:45. He'd watch the tail end of Jim's practice, and once he said to me, "I have a lot of respect for what Courier does. If I had to do that to stay at the top of the game, I couldn't do it." Pete would have a nice, relaxed warm-up. I'd tell his hitting partners to hit every ball within two steps of Pete. Anything more, he'd just let it go. He'd play a set but never worry about winning practice sets.
Gorman: It was interesting how Pete evolved as a Davis Cup player. He made his debut with me at Lyon in the finals in '91, and I think that was one coaching situation where I wish I had done a better job. Even a player as great as Pete was struck by the intensity of Davis Cup [Sampras lost both of his matches]. I was wondering what I could do. It was great to see him learn and become so much better.
Q: Gorman, you were there the last time America hosted the finals. Talk about that weekend in Fort Worth.
Gorman: It was a great team spirit --- Agassi, Courier, Sampras, [John] McEnroe --- but given what these guys were doing most of the year, it wasn't like we were sitting around singing folk songs. We were 1-all going into the doubles, and Pete and John were playing together --- water and oil as personalities, but of course, each great players. The trick was getting them to work together, for Pete to get more emotional, for John to stay cool. We were down two sets to love, and I hand it to John. His control and concentration was first-rate. And soon enough, Pete was right up there, too. It was great to see them win and turn the tie around.
Q: Gullikson, tell us about America's last Cup victory.
Gullikson: Pete won a rough five-setter on Day One --- and then went down on the ground after winning with full body cramps. It wasn't looking good. So that night, Pete's getting a rub, and I said, "Hey Pistol, how 'bout a little doubles with your friend Todd Martin?" With his head down, he looks up from table, says he hasn't played doubles in a year, that he feels terrible. So he says, "Get Todd and Richey [Reneberg] ready, and then we'll see." The next day Pete and I hit a few, then sit down. He says he doesn't feel great, but he also says, "You're the captain." So one nanosecond later, I put him in the lineup. He and Todd win, Pete wins the next day --- ending it all with a 130 mph ace that I'll never forget.
Q: What's changed since you each were running the team?
Gorman: So many more nations are more competitive.
Gullikson: The public is still confused about the format. I'd like it if it was held every other year in the non-Olympic years.
Q: For this weekend, what advice would you give captain Patrick McEnroe?
Gorman: Keep doing what you've been doing. It's been terrific --- a great team, great camaraderie. And keep the big picture in mind during the matches. There's so much value on every point that you can get too caught up in little things than the ebb and flow of a match.
Gullikson: Enjoy it. It's a special opportunity, so just stay relaxed and have fun. Then again, it's pretty darn important.
Joel Drucker is based in Oakland, Calif., and writes for Tennis Magazine and Tennis Channel. He first covered the Davis Cup in 1989.