|
THE
SCOOP: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18
U.S.
Davis Cup to be played in Oklahoma City
By
Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net
|
Bob
and Mike Bryan
|
|
Fred
Mullane
Camerawork USA, Inc.
|
The
USTA announced this week Oklahoma City will host the 2002 United
States vs. Slovak Republic Davis Cup first round tie to be played
Feb. 8-10, 2002 at the Myriad Center.
The
USTA will put down an indoor hard court surface at the Myriad
Center, which will be reconfigured to seat 5,500 fans. The United
States vs. Slovak Republic tie will mark the first time that Davis
Cup will be played in Oklahoma. Tickets go on sale Thursday December
20.
"Davis
Cup is unlike any tennis event in the world with its passion,
electricity and patriotism," said Arlen Kantarian, USTA Chief
Executive, Professional Tennis. "The current group of U.S.
Davis Cup players is a mix of legendary veterans and young stars
who will put on an exciting show in Oklahoma City in February."
Led
by Captain Pat McEnroe, the U.S. team will likely feature veteran
Pete Sampras and teen hotshot Andy Roddick. The Slovak squad is
also a mixture of
old and young, with veteran Karol Kucera and youngster Dominik
Hrbaty.
"I'm
confident that with our mix of veterans and enthusiastic young
players that the United States can win the Davis Cup in 2002,"
said McEnroe, who is in his second year as captain of the U.S.
team. "The Slovakian team is a very talented and dangerous
first-round opponent with players capable of beating any player
in any given situation. We're definitely looking forward to a
competitive and high-spirited match."
This
will be the first meeting between the United States and the Slovak
Republic since the Slovak Republic first competed apart from the
former Czechoslovakia in 1994. The Slovak Republic, captained
by 1988 Olympic gold medalist Miloslav Mecir, reached the quarterfinals
in Davis Cup play two times in the last three years. The Slovaks
are led by Hrbaty, the 1999 French Open semifinalist ranked No.
36 in the '01 year-end rankings. Kucera, a former
top 10 player now ranked No. 101, is the Slovak Republic's leading
Davis Cup
player with a 30-14 record.
Tickets
go on sale Thursday, Dec. 20. Call 888-484-USTA or visit www.usta.com.
|
