Davenport, Ginepri discuss future for themselves and their sport

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WAILEA - The state of tennis was just fine last week at the Wailea Tennis Club.

With Tom Gullikson, Robby Ginepri, Lindsay Davenport and Corina Morariu on hand, the Wailea Fantasy Camp participants who paid $2,800 apiece to participate in the second annual event got to see and learn about the game up close.

''When I was growing up, I was in camps myself,'' Ginepri said after a practice session with Gullikson on Thursday. ''To have myself, Tom, Corina and Lindsay come out here and work with some players, it is a lot of fun and you can't beat it out here in Maui.''

Ginepri said the object of the camp is to teach ''basic pointers of the game, how to hit topspin, how to finish on volleys, serves, forehand, backhand - basic general stuff and a review of how to hit a tennis ball.''

With a coach like Gullikson, the U.S. Davis Cup captain from 1994 to 1999, the

26-year-old Ginepri said even a veteran like himself - he has been ranked as high as No. 15, in 2005, the year he was a U.S. Open semifinalist before losing in five sets to Andre Agassi - can learn something.

''Even before we start doing the drills (Gullikson) is speaking of how to hit a forehand and it is basic stuff, but it is good to hear that stuff over and over again,'' Ginepri said. ''To remember the stuff I learned 15-20 years ago, playing the game was a little bit different back then and it is always evolving. It is good to be reminded again and again.''

Ginepri, currently ranked 50th in the world, said he has some big goals for 2009.

''I would like to get back into the top 15 and maybe go even further,'' he said. ''I have been playing some pretty good tennis at the end of the 2008 year in the fall over in Europe, so I am looking forward to a great 2009 run.''

With American men's tennis not what it once was, Ginepri sees a chance to make a difference.

''It has been tough, the game has been ruled the last three to five years by (Roger) Federer and (Rafael) Nadal,'' Ginepri said. ''With them taking basically every title out there and other tournaments as well, it has been tough. Andy (Roddick) and James (Blake), who have been in the top 10 for three or four years and Mardy Fish putting up some good results, Sam Querry is a young American coming up and I myself have always been in there.

''It is extremely difficult to compare it to (Jim) Courier, (Michael) Chang, Agassi, (Pete) Sampras and Todd Martin - with them winning an incredible amount of Grand Slam titles between the five of them. With that being said, we are working hard to do our best and I think the future is bright for us.''

Ginepri's 2009 may include his second Davis Cup team.

''Anytime I can play for my country I would love to do it and I would jump at the opportunity,'' he said.

The U.S. won the Cup in 2007, the first time it had been hoisted by the Americans since Gullikson's team did so in 1995.

''It is a couple of different things, the surface, where you play the opponents, who is injured, who is available, and you have got to get some good breaks in there,'' Ginepri said. ''Last year we had a tough schedule, but managed to beat Russia in the U.S. and that was a great victory. This year we lost in the semis to Spain in Spain and that is a tough road. Hopefully next year, we can get back in the mix and bring another one down.''

The format of the Davis Cup has come under scrutiny for the demanding travel schedule and time commitments it requires. Ginepri said a change could do some good.

''It has been this way for 20 or 30 years now, so it is going to be tough to change,'' he said. ''There are some average fans out there who maybe don't know how the Davis Cup works - you can play in it up to four times a year. I would like to see it maybe changed to a two-week span where the winners move on. It is completely different than the ATP Tour. It is tough to play so many weeks out of the year on tour and Davis Cup. The travel is so intense as it is, so maybe to have the Davis Cup in that two-week span would be better for some of the players.''

Gullikson, who has played professionally in a now-defunct tournament in Lahaina and attended Northern Illinois University with television golf analyst and Maui resident Mark Rolfing, said he would like to see the Davis Cup keep at least some of the tradition.

''I am not a big fan of (changing the format),'' he said. ''I think the beauty of Davis Cup, the matches I remember the most are the ones we went away from home in sometimes not a friendly environment and bonded together as a team. You beat the players on the court, but also the home crowd, too.

''I think they shouldn't play Davis Cup every year. I mean, in soccer, the most popular sport in the world, they play the World Cup every four years. I advocated when I was captain that they should play the Davis Cup every two years, opposite the Olympics. Play Davis Cup two years out of four and then make the Olympics a team format - two singles, one doubles, two out of three sets to make the Olympics more of a fan-friendly format, country against country. Basically the Olympics right now is just

an individual tournament

and we have a lot of those. There would be nothing like them saying, 'Game, set, match, USA.' ''

Davenport, who teamed with the now-retired Morariu to win the Wimbledon women's doubles championship in 1999, has a 1 1/2-year-old son, Jagger, with husband Rick Leach. That has led to speculation that she is near the end of her competitive career, or there already.

''Jagger has definitely made my life more busy,'' she said. ''He is 17 months now and he has a lot of energy. I mean, obviously, it is a lot of work, but he is very high-spirited, a lot of fun, very emotional kid. My husband and I are just having a blast. We definitely want more. I mean, I am 32, so I still have a lot of child-bearing years left. We will reach that point again, but right now we are just enjoying Jagger.''

When her schedule comes up, the three-time major singles champion, who owns 55 career singles titles overall and 37 in doubles, says she is undecided for 2009, but acknowledged that she must make a decision soon - the season begins Jan. 5, and the Australian Open gets under way on Jan. 19. She is currently ranked 36th in the world.

''Nothing is in stone yet,'' Davenport said. ''I really just tried to enjoy this fall, be a mom, be at home. This is actually my first time on the court in 10 weeks. When I get home from here I will have to sit down more seriously and look at what I want to do in the future. Right now, I am just going with it. For sure by December 1st - I need to be practicing by then if I am going to go to Australia and really compete, so I have a few more weeks.''

With all the love on the court under a baking Wailea sun, the reasons for the world of tennis working toward a combined tour for men and women were easy to see.

''Well, they are working towards that, I think,'' Davenport said. ''I want to say next year we have something like 10 or 12 combined events. I think as a fan that is really a win-win situation.

''A tennis fan enjoys the difference in the games between the women and the men. If you buy a ticket, I think you would like to see the top women and the top male stars.''