The United States sent a junior varsity Davis Cup team Down Under and it paid the penalty. Now, captain Tom Gorman is left wondering whether he, too, may pay a penalty.
Australia took an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the first-round match Saturday at Kooyong when Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge beat Jim Grabb and Richey Reneberg in doubles, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 3-6, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4."You have to congratulate the Americans," French Davis Cup player Guy Forget said in Vienna. "They did everything to lose and they succeeded. It's perhaps some poltics to push out Gorman."
The top-seeded Americans went into the contest without big guns Jim Courier, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and John McEnroe, who would like to replace Gorman as U.S. Davis Cup coach.
It was, indeed, a day of ignominy for the Americans, the first defending champions in 10 years to lose in the first round. The United States beat Switzerland 3-1 in the 1992 final in Fort Worth, Texas, in December.
Australia led 2-0 after Friday's singles, in which Wally Masur beat Brad Gilbert and Woodforde downed David Wheaton.
Australian captain Neale Fraser said the Americans had underestimated his team.
"We didn't get seeded in the tournament and that was a bit rude," Fraser said. "I believe they underestimated us down here on grass."
McEnroe has been chasing Gorman's position as captain, and Fraser was critical of Gorman's powers of persuasion.
"I find it hard to believe that of Jim Courier, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Michael Chang, Ivan Lendl and MaliVai Washington, not one of them could come down here," Fraser said.
"Maybe Gorman is not such a good salesman, but there is something wrong if those players don't want to be part of the Davis Cup."
Gorman said his team had fought hard.
"The guys are very proud of what they did because they went down to the last point fighting," Gorman said.
He said he wanted to continue as captain.
"I have no idea whether there is a question mark over my future," he said. "It is not an issue in my mind. I'm just proud that I was reappointed for this year and I hope I'm a contender for 1994."
Grabb and Reneberg rallied from two sets down to 2-2 in the decisive doubles but lost after Grabb dropped serve in the fifth game of the final set.
"We know each others' games so well and that's what gets you through a tight match like that," said Woodbridge.
Sunday's reverse singles now will be reduced to the best of three sets. Woodforde will play Gilbert and Masur will face Wheaton.