Wilander’s withdrawal weakens cup tie side

Press, 28 January 1988, Page 48

Wilander’s withdrawal weakens cup tie side

PA London The Australian Open winner, Mats Wilander, has been excused from Sweden’s first round Davis Cup tennis tie against New Zealand next week and his doubles partner, Joakim Nystrom, is doubtful. The Kiwi team of Kelly Evernden, Bruce Derlin and David Lewis will face a weakened Swedish side at Gavle 180 kilometres north of Stockholm — but that means little considering the talent the defending champions have to call on. With Nystrom out because of a chest injury it would be likely that the world No. 2, Stefan Edberg, and Anders Jarryd’ would spearhead the team, the Reuter news agency reported • from Stockholm yesterday. Jonas B. Svensson and Peter Lundgren were likely to take the other two berths. The New Zealand Davis Cup newcomer Lewis, a

23-year-old Aucklander, beat the No, 1 seed Svensson in the first round of the BP nationals in Well-' ington, then lost his next match. The Swedes are due to name their team in the next two days and Wilander’s withdrawal has already been accepted by the Swedish Tennis Association. It has agreed he can rest for six weeks in preparation for his next tournament in Orlando after beating the Wimbledon champion, Pat Cash, in the Melbourne final on Sunday. London’s “Daily Telegraph” newspaper said Wilander’s next principal target was Paris, where despite his defeat by Ivan Lendl last year he was capable of winning again.' The Swedish association, “assured of his support in potentially tougher later rounds,” had agreed to his request not to be picked for the first match in defence of the Davis

Cup. Nystrom meanwhile is recovering from influenza which kept him out of the Australian Open but now has a chest injury. He lost 6-2, 6-1, in a training, match against fellow Swede Magnus Gustafsson. The news agency reported the Swedish team captain, Hasse Olsson, as saying: “I knew he would be rusty after a month’s break. If he could play a few times he would be all right, but the pain in his chest means he will have to rest.” i The New Zealand team is due to arrive in Sweden at the week-end to prepare for a tie which starts on Friday week. It is captained by Jeff Simpson and headed by Evernden, ranked No. 33 in the world. Derlin, a 26-year-old Sydney-born left-hander, holds the next highest ranking with a current international standing of 202. Lewis is ranked at 268.