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Davis Cup Notebook Spaniards paying high prices to get tickets
Updated: Thursday December 14, 2000 12:07 PM
BARCELONA, Spain (CNN/SI) -- The Davis Cup final is a hot ticket in Spain. The cheapest tickets for the Spain vs. Australia final are 15,000 pesetas (US$80) and are being scalped at twice that price for each of the three sessions, which begin Friday at 13,745-seat Palau Sant Jordi. Jose Angel De la Casa, the sports director of Spanish television TVE, is organizing a crew of 160 journalists to cover the three-day final, 20 more than he deployed to cover the Summer Olympics in Sydney. Spain has been in only two Davis Cup finals and lost them both to Australia on grass in 1965 and '67. The Spanish were also beaten by Australia in their only other appearance against each other in 1922. New balls A potential international incident over tennis balls has been avoided. Over the weekend, Australian captain John Newcombe accused the Spanish of substituting a harder ball when practice sessions began in Barcelona and called the move "unsporting." The Spanish were furious. Spanish captain Javier Duarte said the balls were the same as the ones the Australians had been using for practice for two weeks in southern Spain. The only difference in the "Penn" brand balls was the type of ATP logo. The ball manufacturer jumped in quickly with a letter saying both balls were the same, which was published Tuesday in the Spanish press. "There is no other difference between the balls supplied for practice and those supplied for the match. The balls are identical in construction and manufacture," Penn said in its letter. "We hope that the misunderstanding has been resolved and everything is back to normal," Duarte said. "We Spaniards aren't accustomed to trying to fool anybody," Spanish No. 1 Alex Corretja said. Tennis bull Australian captain John Newcombe admits Spain is the favorite as the Davis Cup final opens Friday despite the fact Australia has won the Davis Cup 27 time and Spain zero. Australia is also 3-0 against Spain in the Davis Cup, and 2-0 in finals -- both of which were on grass. The reason? It's the red-clay court built in Barcelona's Palau Sant Jordi. Spaniards are the best in the world on the surface. "On paper, Spain is the favorite," Newcombe said. "In this bullfight, we're the bull." Spain mum Spanish captain Duarte is keeping his singles lineup to himself until Thursday's draw. Spain has three world-class singles players on clay, and all three may play in the singles matches: Alex Corretja, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Albert Costa. Australian No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt is expected to face Spain's No. 2 -- either Albert Costa or Juan Carlos Ferrero -- on Friday. Costa may be the favorite following his win over Hewitt on clay in this year's French Open. However, Ferrero has a higher ATP ranking than Costa -- No. 12 vs. No. 26. In Friday's second singles, No. 2 Pat Rafter is likely to face No. 1 Corretja. Corretja and Juan Balcells will team in doubles against Sandon Stolle and Mark Woodforde on Saturday, which means Corretja is unlikely to come back on Sunday when the No. 1's and No. 2's face each other. Under the new free substitution rule, either Ferrero or Costa could fill in for Corretja against Hewitt, depending on which one did not face Hewitt on Friday. Australian captain John Newcombe believes Ferrero will be saved to play the fifth and possibly deciding rubber against Rafter. Newcombe says the fact that Spain is the favorite and being talked up widely around Barcelona as sure winners will work against them. Duarte begs to differ. "We think the pressure is on the Australians because they have won 27 times and they will feel they must win again. The normal thing for Spain is not to win," he said. Love front The Spanish press has splashed the story of the budding romance between Australian Jelena Dokic and Ferrero. The Yugoslav-born Australian, who has recently sought a Yugoslav passport, and Ferrero began to hit things off at the Sydney Olympics. Dokic was expected to be at the final to support Ferrero. But what about Australia? Hewitt will have support here from his girlfriend, Belgian Kim Clijsters.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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