McEnroe in form, on and off court

Press, 9 December 1983, Page 34

McEnroe in form, on and off court

NZPA-Reuter Melbourne The Grand Slam status 01 the $1.75 million Australian Open tennis championship has come under fire from the Wimbledon champion, John McEnroe. The fiery American, who reached the semi-finals in his first Australian Open, said the championship was not in the same class as Wimbledon or the French and United States Opens. He said he would not feel the title was as important as the other three Grand Slam tournaments, even if he won. McEnroe, the second seed, said: “The courts are poor in my opinion, the facilities are poor, and the crowds have been poor. You can’t pretend it’s a major

event if all those things are wrong. “People are trying to talk about this one being a Grand Slam event. But the fact is that it’s just not in the same league as the other three tournaments right now,” he said. The championships, badly hit by rain in the last week, have already been criticised by several players. Organisers have blamed the weather for the disappointing crowds, and have been forced to schedule matches featuring both McEnroe and the top women’s seed, Martina Navratilova, on outside courts. McEnroe said he believed the tournament should be switched to January with the Grand Prix Masters

final, staged in New York and contested by the top 12 players in the points standings, being brought forwards to December. McEnroe added that he felt the Australian Open was no more important than a Grand Prix event, and warned: “It should be more important than that, so things have got to be changed or else.” He declined to say whether he would return for the tournament next year. Ivan Lendl edged towards a singles showdown with McEnroe, but all the Czech ace seemed to want was a lie-down.

“I’ve had enough,” said Lendl, looking mentally and emotionally drained after a tough year on the circuit,

and” still battling the effects of a virus.

Interviewed after winning through to the semi-finals, Lendl said he would not be so hasty in agreeing to play in next year’s Australian Open.

Nevertheless, Lendl summoned up sufficient firepower to subdue a fellow Czech, Tomas Smid, 7-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2. He was to meet the American grass court specialist, Tim Mayotte, in the semi-finals.

Mayotte beat the fourthseeded American, Eliot Teltscher, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6. McEnroe cruised pase an Australia, Wally Masur, winning 6-2, 6-1, 6-2, but he faced a big obstacle in his semi-final clash with the third-seeded Swede, Mats

Wilander. Navratilova yesterday won through to her fourth Australian Open final with a straight sets win over her doubles partner, Pam Shriver. Navratilova defeated Shriver 6-4, 6-3. Navratilova, who is chasing the third leg of the Grand Slam, last won the Australian Open two years ago with a victory over Chris Evert-Lloyd. Yesterday the Czech-born American took just 59 minutes to overpower Shriver in a straightforward but hardfought match. Shriver attempted to pressure her opponent with her potent serve volley attack but each time Navratilova was able to find a little extra.

Despite her total domination of the women’s circuit, Navratilova still believes she can improve.

“I can get better on my serve and on my backhand. I’m getting there, but there is plenty of room for improvement.

“My volley and forehand are about as good as they ‘can be,” she said. If Navratilova wins the final and goes on to capture the French Open, she will earn a bonus of $1 million for winning four successive Grand Slam events.

Her opponent in the final will be Kathy Jordan, who beat a fellow American, Zina Garrison, 7-6, 6-1, in yesterday’s second semifinal.