posted Mar 31, 2008

I quite agree Uncle T - its just that with the Olympics nothing surprises me too much. With such pathetic eligibility rules these circumstances will exist.

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posted Mar 31, 2008

Everyone says it is a team - but it is a team composed of players who mostly play singles (4 out of 5 matches in the rubber). It is for that reason that it makes sense for any country to pick the best players when they make themselves available. Russia's best team includes Sharapova if she is fit and willing to play.

Everybody seems to have overlooked that there was an arrangement between her and Kuznetzova that they would take it in turns. Nobody is slating Kuznetzova for not playing in Israel.

If the other Russian girls want to play in the team all they need to do is make themselves available and ensure that they are playing at a standard to be picked ahead of Sharapova on merit - if they aren't good enough it's no use them complaining.

Nor do I think it's worth anyone else whingeing on their behalf - trying to create a nationalistic team event out of an individual sport consisting of a highly developed global professional tour with an over-heavy schedule is a nonsense and both the Fed and Davis Cups are extremely lucky that there are still good players who take them seriously.

The same goes for the Olympics, which should not include tennis - good for Andy Roddick for sticking to a proper Tour event.

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posted Mar 31, 2008

Good post Barrystar and so many players live abroad so it makes a nonsensense of the whole thing.

There should be a domicile arrangement not just playing one international event.

Mind you I just cant get excited about the Olympics any more - the ideals have long since been lost.

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posted Mar 31, 2008

It's also difficult to get excited to get excited about the Fed Cup given these nonsensical machinations, pre-arranged or not.

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posted Mar 31, 2008

barrystar

Sorry to say this to you, but when this came out at the end of January, I read this news and it was never an agreement between Kuznetzova and Sharapova. The agreemnet was that she (Sharapova) will not have to play against the US if the US got to semi-final.

The russian are saying that now maybe for not hurt Sharapova. Sharapova fathers didn't wanted her to play at all Fed Cup for Russia and then he abree to with that condition that she won't play against the US.

Kuznatzova had nothing to do with that agreement. They are choosen Kussy now because Sharapova is out, as simple as that.

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posted Apr 1, 2008

Katada is right as Kuzzy would have been picked anyway. They don't need Sharapova anyway they are strong enough without her, a point made last year.

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posted Apr 1, 2008

Well I'm happy to stand corrected by Katada and Stuart, but my reply remains a great big fuzzy "so what". Plenty of top players make themselves available for Davis Cup/Fed Cup at their convenience, and why should they not when so much is demanded of them by their respective Tours?

The point remains that when your best player makes him or herself available for a tie any National Organisation that rejects them on the basis that a lesser player was available for all the ties is very foolish indeed.

It's all very well bleating about the unfairness, but if you raise the level of commitment required for Fed and Davis Cup or the Olympics from the top players you will kill those competitions because the best players will opt out entirely to keep themselves fit for the tournaments that really matter. If you try and force them you will get a series of non-matches between exhausted pro's who have to decide when to tank and not.

It's the officials who are the problem, not the players - all the competing organisations have created an overall schedule that is physically impossible, then they complain that they don't get 100% committment from all the players for all their tournaments. If they are to get the top players all the various tournament organisers, tours, national organisations etc. are going to have to sit around the table and be prepared to give up a bit. But they are not. That is why the only way out is the current fudge and I don't see the problem.

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posted Apr 1, 2008

Sharapova was asked to play on a number of occasions but turned them down. Why would you turn down being part of a winning team? It is widely acknowledged that she is playing because of the Olympics. But for me the players that have won it for Russia twice since the last games should also be considered for the Olympics.

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posted Apr 1, 2008

I agree with BarryStar-well said.

And Stuart-Russia may not need Sharapova but she is still the best player they have.

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posted Apr 2, 2008

As long as you have minimal eligibility rules then this situation will exist.

I would like to see a domicile rule for players representing "their" country.

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