DAVIS CUP - RUSSIA vs USA

April 3, 1998

Alan Mills

David Simmons

ALAN MILLS: Well, the schedule is slightly different from what Tom may have mentioned to you earlier on. Earlier we were going to try to play the two singles and the doubles all in one day. But this is proving a little bit difficult because the Russians, within the rules, if Safin, who may play doubles tomorrow, plays more than 30 games, then he's not obliged to play the doubles. So, therefore, what we've decided is it's going to be a 1 p.m. start with the two singles that should have been played today. Sunday, 10 o'clock will be the doubles. Then, not before 2 o'clock, is the possibility of the third and fourth singles. But, again, that all depends on the length of the doubles match. If that takes more than 30 games, then the Russians will have the option of saying, "We're not going to play them until Monday." They also have the right to say that they will play. I think they would probably like to finish the tie on Sunday evening, so we just have to wait and see how the results turn out. That is as far as we can go. It seems a long time making these decisions, but there have been other circumstances to take into consideration, which I'm sure Mr. Simmons will talk to you about in a few minutes.

ALAN MILLS: More of a possibility of a result being obtained after the doubles, obviously. I think a lot depends on the situation of the tie at the end of tomorrow. There again, they said that they were willing to consider playing the doubles on Saturday night, but there is no way they would be definite about it. Therefore, there's obviously a ticketing situation involved.

ALAN MILLS: We're not definite about anything on Sunday afternoon or Monday morning. That's the situation.

ALAN MILLS: From what I'm told, it's supposed to be beautiful from now on (laughter).

ALAN MILLS: Yes, it's like Wimbledon, that's true (laughter).

ALAN MILLS: The singles will be played. The player involved in the first singles on Sunday has a maximum of a two-hour rest after the doubles, if it's less than 30 games. If it's more than 30 games, they can obviously take the two-hour rest and play. That's their option, or say, "We're not playing again today."

ALAN MILLS: I'm just saying, there is a possibility. They are allowed to change their doubles nominations up to one hour before.

ALAN MILLS: You're talking about Sunday? Say it's 3-0 on the doubles, then I would think they would want to play the dead rubbers on Sunday afternoon. I think it's live matches that we're talking about at the moment in this scenario.

ALAN MILLS: They have to be played, yes. But it can be that if there is a result obtained, by the consent of the captains, if we got to Sunday evening, then they'll play.

ALAN MILLS: That makes two of us (laughter).

DAVID SIMMONS: That makes three of us. Again, just to restate the ticketing standpoint, the only thing we know with certainty now is today's tickets will be good for tomorrow's matches at 1 o'clock, and that Saturday's tickets will be good for Sunday's matches, which will start at 10 o'clock.

DAVID SIMMONS: The series tickets were probably, I'd say, 85 percent of sales, somewhere around there.

DAVID SIMMONS: I haven't had a chance to get into the numbers yet on that. What happened today, what we sold today. I can't really comment on that. I didn't know we'd be in this position and I'd have to have that number.

DAVID SIMMONS: No, it represents a third. We will have to make another statement, obviously, about the Sunday matches, about how we're going to handle those tickets that are good for Sunday. We have not come to a conclusion on that yet.

ALAN MILLS: Then we will play to a result on Sunday.

ALAN MILLS: 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

ALAN MILLS: It's in the rules.

ALAN MILLS: Well, I think 30 games is a very low number, for a doubles, yes.

ALAN MILLS: Supposed to be.

ALAN MILLS: 30 games or more.

ALAN MILLS: Yes.

ALAN MILLS: Oh, yes (laughter). The last time I was involved was in South Africa when we started outdoors on grass. Of course, I brought the rain with me there. Started raining. Eventually, we went indoors. We had this same situation because they played the first two singles halfway through the doubles. Then it became absolutely impossible to continue the tie on grass. Then we had to go indoors, so we had to set up an indoor stadium.

ALAN MILLS: And the half of the doubles. Then we had to sort of invoke the same sort of rules. There were huge gaps in between. We ended up finishing reasonably late on Monday night. There weren't too many people still there.

ALAN MILLS: That was Austria and South Africa. Joanne that will know the exact date.

ALAN MILLS: Last year.

ALAN MILLS: Yes. Last year or two years ago? Last year.

ALAN MILLS: Well, it was two years ago. Time flies. Well, I mean, that would be a good option for us. We're here to work with the ITF and the USTA.

DAVID SIMMONS: Correct.

ALAN MILLS: I am hoping to get a definite decision from the Russians tomorrow, at the earliest after the first singles tomorrow, latest at the end of play, of what they intend to do the following day.

ALAN MILLS: They have told me that they will do. As I said to Dave, I can only say that's what they've told me. If they decide not to, then they can wait until after the doubles.

ALAN MILLS: Their decision is going to be that they will play.

ALAN MILLS: That's right.

ALAN MILLS: The whole thing is, that's right, you have to give the fans as much notice as possible. That's why I've been trying to get the Russians to agree to certain things. But, of course, it's very difficult for them - I understand their situation - when perhaps they're playing with a two-man team.

ALAN MILLS: If there is a two-man team. I'm not saying there is. I'm saying, if there is a two-man team, then they have the problem, whereas the Americans, of course, have got two singles players and a doubles team.