DAVIS CUP - SPAIN vs AUSTRALIA

December 9, 2000

John Newcombe

MODERATOR: Questions, please.

MARK WOODFORDE: It was a fairly unique experience. Last year in the final against the French wasn't quite as vocal one and constant as this. I mean, I don't know about Sandon, but I felt like a caged animal out there. I thought the crowd were pretty disgraceful. I've never had so many people boo and be so unsportsmanlike for any type of a winner that we hit. But the way that it's gone yesterday and today, I guess that's the way they behave. It was a bit disappointing, you know, just to really be out there living and breathing it. I know sure as hell if we played in Australia, it wouldn't be like that.

CAPTAIN NEWCOMBE: Well, I had just, you know, felt that the Australians that were there, we were only allowed to have 10% of the crowd, and they were being drowned out constantly. When we got the break -- when we held serve from Love-40 down, I just wanted to let them know that we were hearing them. That was the only thing I've done in ten hours of play. I officially complained to Stefan this morning before the matches about the behavior of the crowd and the behavior of the captain yesterday and said that I felt -- also the Spanish players, a couple of them on the bench were inciting the crowd, which is against the rules of Davis Cup. The players on the team are not allowed to incite the crowd. Nobody had stopped them. Yesterday I let it go because it was the first day. But I wanted him to know that I was officially complaining. That's why today at the first time they started whistling on Mark's second serve, we had three times, and then they stopped because they realized maybe there would be a penalty against them. Just backing up what Mark said. I thought the behavior of the crowd in Lleyton's last game yesterday was disgraceful. I've never been in a match like today where every time our boys hit a winner, 14,000 people booed. I've never, ever seen that on the world stage before. I think their unsportsmanlike behavior has been displayed in front of the world. They might feel proud of themselves, but the whole world has been watching this. We expect the cheering to be 100% for Spain, but we don't expect to be booed every time we hit a winner. That's just showing no class. It's disappointing because it's not in the spirit of what Davis Cup is all about. I don't want this to sound like sour grapes. I should say I congratulate the Spanish players for playing a great match today. They really played well. They deserved to win. The way the match went, we had our one chance in the second set to hold serve for 5-2, maybe it could have turned a little bit. That's just getting back onto the tennis, away from the other thing. We're not screaming foul or anything. We're saying they played too good, they deserve to be up 2-1, and we have the job ahead of us. But the Spanish people just need to look at themselves, where they're coming from.

CAPTAIN NEWCOMBE: Sorry, I forgot that. He told us both to cut it out. Javier said, "Well, if he does, I will." That's why I just burst out laughing. It was just a comedy.

CAPTAIN NEWCOMBE: No, you can't stop the crowd from booing every time we hit a winner.

CAPTAIN NEWCOMBE: There were three of those. I mentioned the three of them. They didn't do it again. We'll certainly be bringing that up if that happens tomorrow. If the crowd get on Lleyton, you know, like they finished up the other day -- of course their players are allowed to run to the crowd and do this (raising arms), that's legitimate. If Lleyton does it, he's a bad boy. What we've got here is really some wolves in sheep's clothing, crying out. That's what we've got here. It's okay for them to do it, but not for Lleyton. I should add that it's going to be my recommendation to Tennis Australia to go to the ITF and say that when we play matches in Spain, there has to be 50% of the crowd offered to the foreign team so that it can be, you know, fair. It mightn't happen, but the point has to be made, the point has to be made.

CAPTAIN NEWCOMBE: No. You know, the whistling stopped. That's obstruction. It's not obstruction when they're booing every time we hit a winner. You know, it's just not sportsman.

CAPTAIN NEWCOMBE: No. For what?

CAPTAIN NEWCOMBE: No, I don't think there was. You can't penalize the crowd for making noise. That's not what we're saying here. You know, let's not get away from the subject from the fact there was a doubles match played and Spain won 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, which was a good win, a bloody good win.

SANDON STOLLE: Does anybody have any questions about the match? If not, I'm busting to go to the toilet and get out of here. Are there any questions about the match? That's all I want to know. If you don't need me here, I'm going to go, I have better things to do.

SANDON STOLLE: Does that mean you want to keep me here because I've got to go to the toilet?

SANDON STOLLE: Look, I mean, they played well. You know, it was always going to be a tough match for us coming in. There was momentum. We started off dropping serve, which didn't help. Then, you know, we got into the match, sort of got the upper hand in the second. It got away from us. Every time we got a bit of momentum, even in the second set and the third set, we ended up dropping our next service game. I think that was, you know, the match. Hats off to them. They played well on those occasions to take the momentum away from us. But, you know, we had plenty of chances on our side of the net, as well.

CAPTAIN NEWCOMBE: Do you want to answer and let him go, otherwise we need a vial here, and I don't want to get hit (laughter).

SANDON STOLLE: I wasn't surprised. Clay court doubles is a different game of doubles. He played well. He's a good guy, took up a lot of the court. It makes it a lot harder for us to, you know, hit balls in less space. But, you know, he played a great match. I mean, he deserved to win. I mean, he showed a lot of great experience there in that situation and came through. That's why they won the match.

MARK WOODFORDE: Not right now, not at this moment. You know, since the last couple of weeks, I've, you know, tried to get a good feel for the fact that this is the last match. As soon as it finishes, that's it. I was hoping to be in a little bit more in an upbeat mood after the match, with a victory, be able to sit back and be all beaming smiles and that. I think it's now sort of like a relief that it's over and done with. You know, regardless of the result, I don't think it really affects my thought on my whole, I don't know, 15, 16 years that I've been playing. I mean, it doesn't dampen my thoughts on, you know, what a great ride, what a great life it's been. Disappointed. I would have loved to help Australia get to 2-1. You know, tried my best on the day.

MARK WOODFORDE: Yeah, I would hate to have, like you have in soccer, where you put the visiting team in a cage over there so that the home team can't start jumping on them. Today, as soon as our supporters, the Fanatics, one little cheer, they were just booed and shouted down. You have to expect some of that. I mean, last year in France, we had a little bit of it, but I think the crowd were basically very fair. All the matches were played in good spirit. You know, I really haven't played under anything like this before. I don't think it affected my play. I don't think it really affected Sandon's play. It maybe helped Juan Balcells get through today. I don't think you'll see him play quite as well if he had to play under such pressure in an away match. But, no, I really hope that it doesn't come like to a soccer crowd where the visiting team is sitting there in a cage and fights are erupting, people are getting beaten up.

CAPTAIN NEWCOMBE: Well, we're going to find that out tomorrow.

CAPTAIN NEWCOMBE: Yeah. You've got to do that. You've got to get up and exercise, do something. He was stiff. We'll just see. He's trained pretty hard. Hopefully he'll be back and he'll be okay tomorrow. We're still trying to figure out what exactly happened. He might have made a mistake. He watched all of Lleyton's match in the dressing room. The only thing we can think is maybe he was emotionally stressed and that was tightening his body up without knowing it from watching that match. He said he got very involved in it, watching it. It's the only thing we can figure because he was only 2 hours, 10 minutes into the match. He didn't cramp in normal places, that he might normally do. Hopefully he'll be ready tomorrow, as will Lleyton. Having said that, it will be probably one of the greatest comebacks ever if we can win tomorrow.

MARK WOODFORDE: Yeah, if Erin lets me out of the house to go play a bit of golf, I'll try to get my handicap down further. Just the thought of actually committing to something doesn't excite me that much. To be uncommitted is what I'm looking for, after being devoted to the sport for so long. I've always been very conscientious with preparation about being ready for any match. The thought of not having to lead another regimented lifestyle is what I'm looking forward to. In the same breath, I can't just sit back. If I want to capitalize on my achievements with Todd as the Woodies hopefully my own name, professional attitude, good sportsmanship, I probably have to take some opportunities. I'm looking at doing some commentary. Tennis Australia wants me to stay involved with, you know, helping juniors, junior tennis. I've just got to dissect what's put in front of me.

MARK WOODFORDE: Initially we're going to stay there for a couple months after the baby is born, then got to get back to Australia after that. I'm missing my first Christmas in Australia for 16 years. It's going to be something different. We both want to get back to Australia and show the baby off, so to speak, probably just spend a bit of time in both Adelaide and Mission Hills for the time being.

CAPTAIN NEWCOMBE: Mark (laughter). There was a little bit of panic at the hotel last night when Sandon and Mark were watching on television. They thought Pat might have pulled a muscle (laughter). They started arguing about who wasn't going to play. Can the captain play (smiling)?