Aussie Fans Promise a Loud Crowd for Davis Cup TodayView Comments (1) | View Discussions
Posted on November 28, 2003
 More than 600 members of the Australian Davis Cup "Fanatics" group have promised the home team will hear a wall of sound as play kicks off today against Spain with the first of two singles matches in Melbourne. Look for painted faces, green and gold, and chants of "Oi! Oi! Oi!" emanating from Rod Laver Arena.
Fanatics leader Warren "Woz" Livingstone has promised lots of chanting and movement as Lleyton Hewitt starts the first match against Juan Carlos Ferrero, and Mark Philippoussis follows against Carlos Moya. Ferrero and Hewitt are tied 3-3 in their head-to-head matches, with the Spaniard winning their most recent meeting at this year's US Open. Philippoussis leads Moya 3-2 in their match-ups, with the Spaniard winning the last two on clay.
"We're not just about cheering the players on, we want to encourage the other members of the crowd to follow us and sing along," said Livingstone, who has attended the last 20 consecutive Davis Cup ties since 1997, talking to The Age. "When you get 15,000 people singing or clapping, it makes a big difference. These days people just don't sit back and watch us -- they get involved."
The Spaniards could use some cheering of their own, as neither Ferrero or Moya have won a grasscourt title, and Moya hasn't played an event on grass in 2-1/2 years. Hewitt won the Wimbledon title last year, and Flipper was runner-up this year to Roger Federer at the All-England Club.
While the Spaniards are outclassed on paper, Aussie cup captain John Fitzgerald says he doesn't expect them to roll over in the final.
"The Spanish team is full of class," Fitzgerald said. "There is no way you are ever going to play a team of bunnies if you're in a Davis Cup final."
DAVIS CUP ON THE TENNIS CHANNEL (EST, all live USA only)
Nov. 27 -- 7-10 p.m., 10:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
Nov. 28 -- 10 p.m.-1 a.m.
Nov. 29 -- 7-10 p.m., 10:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
DAVIS CUP SINGLES HEAD-TO-HEADS
Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) vs. Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) tied 3-3
2003 US Open, Hard, Ferrero
2002 Tennis Masters Cup, Hard, Hewitt
2001 Tennis Masters Cup, Hard, Hewitt
2001 Roland Garros, Clay, Ferrero
2000 AUS V ESP, Clay, Ferrero
2000 Scottsdale, Hard, Hewitt
Carlos Moya (ESP) leads Hewitt (AUS) 5-3
2003 World Team Championship, Clay, Hewitt
2002 Tennis Masters Cup, Hard, Moya
2002 Cincinnati TMS, Hard, Moya
2002 Rome TMS, Clay, Moya
2002 Monte Carlo TMS, Clay, Moya
2002 Indian Wells TMS, Hard, Hewitt
2001 Australian Open, Hard, Moya
2000 Indian Wells, Hard, Hewitt
Ferrero (ESP) leads Mark Philippoussis (AUS) 2-0
2003 Rome TMS, Clay, Ferrero
2000 Roland Garros, Clay, Ferrero
Philippoussis (AUS) leads Moya (AUS) 3-2
2003 Roland Garros, Clay, Moya
2002 Roland Garros, Clay, Moya
1999 Indian Wells, Hard, Philippoussis
1998 US Open, Hard, Philippoussis
1997 Indian Wells, Hard, Philippoussis
DAVIS CUP RECORDS IN FINALS
Spain has appeared in only one final since the inception of the Davis Cup World Group in 1981, while Australia has appeared in seven finals. Sweden has appeared in the most finals of any country in that period with 10:
Spain 1-0 win-loss in finals (d. Australia in 2000)
Australia 3-4 in finals (won in 1999,'86,'83, lost in 2001-00,'93'90)
NOTES, QUOTES, AND BARBS
Pat Cash says the Davis Cup final this weekend will be a walk for the Australians: "I think our guys will cruise it in," Cash told the Courier-Mail. "Australia will win comfortably. It will be 5-0, at least 3-0, unless something weird happens."...Aussie D-Cup Captain John Fitzgerald on Lleyton Hewitt: "I don't think it's possible for him to be over-motivated. He thrives on that. He's got a lot of reasons to want to win this. He just wants to win the Davis Cup. I haven't seen anyone want to win a Davis Cup more, not in my time, and we used to want it pretty badly."...Retired Aussie Davis Cupper Mark Woodforde brushed off Spanish rookie Feliciano Lopez as a threat: "I'm sure Lopez is a handy player on grass, and it's a big advantage being a left-hander, but I don't see him being this great serve-volleyer and all-out attacker that's going to be too troubling for our guys."...The Spanish Davis Cup team watched a motivational video featuring messages of support from former players, coaches and family members, with former player Roberto Carretero quipping "I have seen Moya play many good grasscourt matches...of soccer."...Alex Corretja on his chance meeting with former President Bill Clinton: "I met him on the street in 2001 in the Soho district of New York. I was with Albert Costa, but he had many bodyguards around him that we thought it may be impossible to reach him. We said, 'Well, Bill, would you mind if we took some pictures?' We're tennis players Albert Costa and Alex Corretja. He said, 'Yeah, I thought you looked familiar, but I didn't know from where'. He was so nice. We took pictures with (my wife) Marta and my brothers. It was so funny."...Carlos Moya has won four of his last five meetings with Lleyton Hewitt, though none were on grass...Andy Roddick raised more than $350,000 for his charitable foundation with his tennis gala last weekend in Boca Raton, FL: "One of the great things about winning tennis matches is it presents a unique opportunity to raise money for charity. That's pretty cool. Any time I can give back to kids who might be less fortunate is pretty much a no-brainer."...While there were only a handful of Spanish media at the Masters Cup in Houston, there are 42 accredited Spanish journalists in Melbourne...Patrick Rafter described the Spanish crowd in 2001 at the Davis Cup final in Barcelona as a "disgrace. Mate, as a tennis crowd they were as disrespectful as I've ever seen. They were a bloody disgrace."...Alex Corretja says if the crowd turns on him in Melbourne he'll suck it up: "I just come here to play tennis to help my team win...I don't want to enter into any fights because I think it doesn't make any sense for me. I have got a lot of respect for Aussie people. I think they are pretty open guys and they always treat me really well. I don't see any reason why they're going to go against me or anything. If they feel like they have to do something against me -- or feeling that I didn't behave well in Barcelona and now that they have to do it against me again -- then I will have to accept it."...Amelie Mauresmo is looking to Andy Roddick's success for inspiration in 2004: "He won without asking himself any questions. The Americans have this winning quality because in their society it is 'you walk or you die.' I don't want to be satisfied with being number five, six or seven. To get past that I have to destroy my doubts. I must have a systematic, mechanical game to go forward. To get higher (in the rankings) I must hurt myself and kick myself up the backside if I have a negative thought."
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