Scorecard

The team loses more than 80% of its first dozen contests; irate fan mail demands the scalps of the coach and the general manager; the press raps players, coach and management.

If it all sounds like April with the New York Yankees, score a publicity ace for World Team Tennis and the losing, problem-ridden Los Angeles Strings. In achieving the kind of irate fan reaction common to older professional sports, the new league has succeeded in winning acceptance of its brand of tennis as a team sport rather than an individual one.

Last year, when Strings GM Bart Christensen received only one critical letter during the season, he said, "The day we start receiving more letters like this will be the day we know we're accepted." This year fan reaction to the Strings' woeful start has resulted in a flood of critical letters. Christensen, however, abides by his earlier statement.

"Obviously, we are tremendously disappointed in our record," he says, "but we are gratified to have fans who care about us as a team. Painfully, we are learning we've been successful in selling WTT's team concept."