WIMBLEDON

June 30, 2000

Roger Taylor

MODERATOR: Questions, please.

ROGER TAYLOR: You mean on the playing side?

ROGER TAYLOR: Obviously, this is an important hurdle, getting the team nominated, picking the team. We'll all come together on Sunday evening, the Sunday of the Championships. We might all go to the Champions Dinner if Tim has won the tournament. We start on the Monday, the following Monday after Wimbledon, start putting in the practise and start working together as a team, moving towards the match.

ROGER TAYLOR: I think all of us on the team are very disappointed with those remarks. We think it's a very tough match. There's no easy matches in Davis Cup. When you have a team with a player who is No. 10 in the world, plus other players who have played Davis Cup to get Ecuador this far, then we're treating it as a very hard match. It's a very important match for us to stay in the World Group. We've got the greatest respect for the Ecuadorian team.

ROGER TAYLOR: I haven't spoken to David. I just read the quote. It was very disappointing for all of us. I think as a visiting team, who is representing their country, we do have to keep the spirit and goodwill of Davis Cup alive. Yes, we want to win the matches and we'll be fighting hard to win them. But we also have to give the respect to our opponents, which is important.

ROGER TAYLOR: I'll let you know.

ROGER TAYLOR: As I said, all of us are disappointed with those kind of remarks. We know how difficult these matches are. It's never easy to go out and play a big match for your country, whoever you're playing against. We all know there's been great turnarounds in Davis Cup matches, people winning from behind in impossible situations. The Ecuadorians are not an easy team. Lapentti certainly isn't an easy player. The more practise he gets on grass, the better he's going to be, the better prepared he'll be. We're expecting a tough match.

ROGER TAYLOR: Greg did the right thing by taking a few days off after his loss at Wimbledon. I think naturally you'd be very disappointed. It means so much to every player. You're probably thinking about Wimbledon six months ahead. Whilst you're playing other tournaments, all your thoughts are still coming back to Wimbledon and how well you're going to do. I think when you have had a loss in a match that you felt you could win, certainly a cliff-hanging match like he was in, I think I would do the same.

ROGER TAYLOR: Are you asking him to retire?

ROGER TAYLOR: I'm just saying that I think Greg has done the sensible thing to take a few days off, get away from tennis just for a while, a few days. Certainly you've got no more interest in the tournament, certainly don't want to sit around and watch everyone else play when you've given it your best efforts and haven't been successful. Hopefully he'll come back refreshed and keen to start again and ready to go again.

ROGER TAYLOR: I think it's slightly difficult. I mean, the main thing is that we as a team, supporting Great Britain, need the support of everyone. I think an ex-captain perhaps making statements like that is not too helpful for the team. I think that's the important thing. As I say, I'm disappointed in those remarks. We believe that the Ecuadorians are a good team, and we're looking forward to a hard tie.

ROGER TAYLOR: That's just completely hypothetical. The few days before a Davis Cup match are very important. I think you come together. Obviously, the players are just coming from Wimbledon, so they're all highly tuned. The last few days are important to see how people are playing, so we have to look at that situation. We have to look at everyone, start working as a team, start supporting each other, getting the best out of each other. So certainly I can't look ahead until I know how everyone's playing just prior to the match.

ROGER TAYLOR: I said that Greg is an important part of the team, as I've always said. I think at the moment, whilst he is struggling with his form - we know that, we know he's had a tough match, a tough Wimbledon - Greg Rusedski can bounce back immediately. All he's got to do is get his serve going, and he's back, dangerous for everyone in the world. I think we have to look at the situation, have to look at the players, see how everyone's playing, really decide then whether and who plays in these matches.

ROGER TAYLOR: Arvind is pushing very hard. He's had some good results recently. That's the kind of situation we want in a team. We want players coming up behind the top players, and certainly Arvind has brought himself into contention. As I said, we have to see how everyone is playing just prior to the match, take into consideration the last few days, then make a decision.

ROGER TAYLOR: Greg informed me that he was going away for a few days' holiday, that he would be back for the match. He felt that he's had great support from the British public, and he's looking forward to being part of the Davis Cup team.

ROGER TAYLOR: Well, obviously most successful Davis Cup teams have a good doubles pair. But at the present time we haven't got a recognized doubles team. The players, such as Arvind here, they're working so hard to get their single's ranking up, they are sometimes playing different tournaments to the guys we could pair them up with. So on a short-term basis, I don't think we can be in that position. We have to pick singles players. Obviously they're all playing doubles at some point, not so much the top two, but Arvind, Barry Cowan are playing doubles. I think all of them are fitting in, if necessary.

ARVIND PARMAR: How much have I played doubles with him?

ARVIND PARMAR: Like Roger said, because I've been working so hard to keep my singles up, I haven't been on the level of singles I'm playing at tournaments. My doubles ranking is nowhere near high enough to get into these tournaments.

ARVIND PARMAR: Yeah. If we pair up, our rankings combined don't get us into the tournaments.

ARVIND PARMAR: He has to play with someone higher ranked so he can get in.

ARVIND PARMAR: I think I played with him once.

ARVIND PARMAR: I mean, it would be great. It would be a great honor. Davis Cup hopefully is going to be such a big part of my tennis, the whole competition is great. Yeah, I mean, like Roger said, the days prior are very crucial. I'm sure he'll make the right decision.

ROGER TAYLOR: I don't see that as a problem at all. I think that's reasonable to assume that David would be a good friend of, in this case, Greg Rusedski. It's normal that if that's the case, he would invite him to watch the match.

ROGER TAYLOR: Greg's made his commitment to Davis Cup. He's confirmed that he wants to play and represent Great Britain. He has a great record in Davis Cup. I think that he's always indicated to me that he wants to be part of the team. That's certainly the case.

ROGER TAYLOR: He returned my call. I didn't speak to him after his match. Knowing that he'd be pretty disappointed, I think I left him alone there. He returned my call the following day to let me know that he was okay, he was away for a few days, and he would be back, ready to start again for Davis Cup.