Parun, Roche injured

Press, 23 February 1978, Page 32

Parun, Roche injured

NZPA Adelaide | Australia’s Tony Roche has joined the New Zealander, Ony Parun, on the injured list for the Eastern Zone final of the Davis Cup starting at Adelaide tomorrow. Roche curtailed a training session yesterday, complainiong of a ‘sore left shoulder, and was whisked away for medical treatment. Parun managed 90 minutes of practice despite his strained right forearm, but said afterwards that it was feeling uncomfortable and hurting on some shots. The New Zealander said he would like to give himself more time before making a decision on his fitness. He also said that he had lost valuable practice opportunities since first suffering the injury in Auckland 12 days ago. Although Parun intends to practice again today, it appeared likely last evening that he will tell the team captain, Jeff Robson, to leave him out of the team. This would mean that Robson will name Chris Lewis and Brian Fairlie just before the draw is made at lunchtime today. Roche is also planning to practice today. His injury appears less severe, and a doctor has told him that with 24 hours rest and another course of ultra-sound treatment, he should be fit enough to play tomorrow.

The Australian captain, Neale Fraser, was, however, showing some concern over Roche’s condition last night, and if Roche is not considered fit enough there will be a difficult choice in deciding between Mark Edmondson and Bob Giltinan as the singles player to join John Alexander in the Australian line-up. Chris Lewis, the 20-year-old babe of New Zealand’s Davis Cup squad, is trying to close his mind to the pressures building up on him for the Final.

Lewis is regarded as the player who could upset Alexander and Roche to give New Zealand a winning chance.

Despite his youth, Lewis has packed a fair bit of tennis experience into his life and thinks deeply and intelligently about his approach to the game. He is acutely conscious of the responsibility he will carry. The mental build-up to Davis Cup tennis can be as important as the physical preparation. In Lewis’s favour is his pre-Christmas experience on the Memorial Drive courts, venue for the tie. In the South Australia Marlboro men’s classic he had a giant-killing run to the final before losing a memorable five-set match to the American, Tim Guillikson.

He regards himself as "pretty fit,” and is satisfied

he is hitting the ball, nearly as well as he could wish. Apart from that, Lewis is difficult to draw out on the subject of the tie. He said he has never played Alexander, but has often watched him. He lost his one match

against Roche, played at Sydney in January. The pressure will not lessen. Yesterday’s Adelaide newspaper carried the headline “Lewis v Aussies?” . above its report on the zone final.