Kooyong Suits Belarus
The Age
Thursday April 6, 2006
BELARUS is in just its 13th year as an independent Davis Cup nation, but enters tomorrow's quarter-final against 28-time champion Australia at historic Kooyong believing familiarity to be its greatest weapon.
Max Mirnyi, the world No. 3 in doubles and a former top-20 singles player, predicted his decade-long partnership with teammate Vladimir Voltchkov - now effectively a full-time Davis Cup player - could be crucial to the tie's outcome."This is our biggest advantage," Mirnyi said yesterday. "Australia's a very strong team but not too many teams out there have played or known each other as well as Vladimir and I know each other . . . it is to our advantage and we hope to use it once again."History beckons, according to Mirnyi, for Australia has made plenty of it, and nowhere more than at Kooyong. But Belarus' performances since 1994 have belied its lack of resources and depth, and the first-round upset of Spain in Minsk provided what Mirnyi regards as his country's greatest opportunity."This is the most historical place that Davis Cup has ever been played, with as many ties that have been won (here) and as successful as Australia has been in Davis Cup competition," Mirnyi said."To play in your guys' backyard and to play Lleyton in the prime of his career - people forget that he was so successful and he's only 25 - it would mean the world to us, and we'll do everything it will take to win."Mirnyi is the Belarusian mainstay while Voltchkov is the wildcard, but Australia will start as clear favourite.Voltchkov, 27, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist, is ranked 457th, and mostly plays tournaments only to prepare for Davis Cup, where his imposing 39-23 record includes February's shock trouncing of Spain's world No. 10 David Ferrer."It just happens that I play decent tennis in Davis Cup and I'm happy about that," said Voltchkov, who will meet Hewitt on day one."For me Davis Cup is very much the most important competition, and just before (ties) I try to play a couple of tournaments to get myself in shape."Voltchkov predicted he would need to hit a bag of winners against Hewitt, but said "Lleyton doesn't have anything really that big to hurt you". Mirnyi, too, qualified his praise of Hewitt's competitiveness by saying "he doesn't have overwhelming power that he can hit the guys off the court . . . so you always have chances against Lleyton".Caretaker Australian coach Todd Woodbridge predicts there may be chances against Mirnyi - for all his 195-centimetre stature and a wingspan that Woodbridge has likened to playing against a Boeing 747."A lot of this tie I believe will fall on Max's shoulders," Woodbridge said."But he's the guy who can play really brilliant and he can play a little bit mediocre some days. His results fluctuate. When he's on he's incredibly dangerous because of the style he plays, with the serve and volley and the chip-charge and keeping you off balance."Voltchkov perhaps is the danger, because we haven't seen him much of late and his form also comes and goes. He's very dangerous, because he's the type of player that can come out and crack winners."One leveller has been that the host nation has been unable to tailor the surface to provide a significant advantage, for Australia's choice of court also suits Belarus.And while the Australians are adamant the speed of Kooyong's Rebound Ace is slightly quicker than at Melbourne Park and will therefore work to Hewitt's advantage, Mirnyi disagreed."I don't find it any different from the Australian Open - having come here for maybe now eight or nine years playing in Melbourne, I just find it the same," he said.
© 2006 The Age