Spain face Davis Cup test in Eindhoven

Robert Woodward

Spanish euphoria could dissolve just nine weeks after their first Davis Cup title when they face The Netherlands on an indoor court in Eindhoven this weekend.

Spain won all four ties last year on clay and in front of passionate home crowds, but the Dutch on a surface made for serve-volleyers will be a very different proposition.

"This tie is a big test for us because it comes only two months after winning the Davis Cup," said Juan Avedano, a member of Spain's coaching team.

"That makes it awkward, but we are determined to show that playing away from home we are still the best in the world."

Australia, beaten by Spain in December's final in Barcelona, have on paper the strongest team in the competition and Lleyton Hewitt and Pat Rafter are strong favourites to beat Ecuador's Lapentti brothers on grass in Perth.

Patrick McEnroe, taking over from elder brother John, directs the U.S. attempt to win a record 32nd title against Switzerland but he has travelled without Australian Open winner Andre Agassi and Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras.

Sweden, champions in 1997 and 1998 but embarrassingly absent from the world group last year, return at home against the Czech Republic. France, who lost to Australia in the 1999 final, have Arnaud Clement, the surprise Australian Open finalist, to call upon against Belgium.

GOOD FORM

Spain may look to the experienced Carlos Moya to play singles against the Dutch after he missed the title run last year through injury. Moya made the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and has good form on hardcourts.

The Spanish cause has been helped by the withdrawal of former Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek from the Dutch team because of an elbow injury, but Sjeng Schalken, Paul Haarhuis and Jan Siemerink will still pose serious problems.

Juan Carlos Ferrero, whose wins over Rafter and Hewitt were the key to Spain's final win, is cautiously optimistic.

"I don't know whether or not we are the favourites because it is taking us some time to adapt to the new surface and it is also our first away tie, but I really believe we are going to win," he said.

Controversy and Hewitt are close friends and Ecuador, who reached the world group by beating Britain in the play-offs, are already goading him about the on-court antics which always fire up hometown crowds in Australia.

Nicolas Lapentti, Ecuador's number one, said the 19-year-old's behaviour was "not nice" which led new Australian coach Wally Masur to tell Lapentti to stop "whining".

Rafter will be playing his first match since revealing the extent of his sweating problem, which causes the kind of cramping which ruined his Australian Open hopes in a five-set semifinal against Agassi.

TOUGH BAPTISM

Like his brother John 12 months ago, Patrick McEnroe faces a tough baptism as Davis Cup captain on an indoor court in Basle.

John, with Andre Agassi on board, scraped past Zimbabwe 3-2 in the first round last year and Patrick would be happy with the same result against Switzerland.

The U.S. will rely heavily on Todd Martin, the last member of the generation including Agassi, Sampras and Jim Courier who still turns out regularly for the Davis Cup team.

Andy Roddick, 18 and in the squad for the first time, represents the future of American tennis - he finished 2000 as the world's number one junior.

Germany host Romania in Braunschweig and they welcome back Nicolas Kiefer, ranked 20th at the end of 2000.

Kiefer last represented Germany in a first-round defeat by Russia two years ago. He refused to play after a row with Boris Becker, then team manager as well as a doubles player.

"The team obviously suffers when a top player is missing," captain Carl-Uwe Steeb said of Kiefer's return. "I am delighted that we can now rely on our best possible team."

Steeb named Kiefer and Tommy Haas to play singles while David Prinosil and Marc Goellner should team up in the doubles.