The Big Problem: U.S.’ Best News Was Sitting on the Bench

SANTANDER, Spain —  In reality, there was the potential for two interesting stories here after the injured Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi withdrew from this Davis Cup semifinal between the United States and Spain.

* 1. U.S. captain John McEnroe could make headline news by pulling himself out of Davis Cup retirement, stepping on the court again and playing doubles.

* 2. McEnroe could cause an international incident and make headline news by stepping out of line and insulting some official or minor celebrity.

Neither story line got past the development stage. McEnroe pulled himself out of the doubles equation Thursday. (As for an international incident, accidentally dropping a kid’s camera and joking about Juan Balcells’ long sideburns didn’t cut it.)

His major misstep came at the end, skipping the mandatory news conference Sunday after the 5-0 loss to Spain. The Spanish supporters were still singing and chanting in the temporary stadium on the Peninsula de Magdalena--in the rain, no less--and Mac was already hitting the road, a la Agassi.

Hours later, he finally spoke to a reporter from his car on the way to the airport in Bilbao, Spain.

He sounded distraught and said his three-year deal as captain contains an exit clause.

“Well, luckily I don’t believe in making snap decisions,” he said. “It’s not the ideal time to make one. I’m going to let it sink in.”

Saturday, he was asked the same question, but that was before the two final blows in the reverse singles matches.

“It’s surprising and disappointing,” he said. “If you don’t win the big prize, it’s disappointing. There are surprises along the way. Today [Saturday] is a perfect example of why Davis Cup is a great competition. The people are really into it, maybe more into it than other events, except maybe the majors.”

Still, it remains the great little secret of tennis.

The drama, and spectacular beachside setting, got major play in Spain, though not nearly as much as the Luis Figo soccer drama--will he stay in Barcelona or go to its rival, Real Madrid?

In the United States, without Sampras and Agassi, this Davis Cup semifinal was third, a very distant third, among European sporting events involving Americans, trailing the Tiger Woods British Open and the Lance Armstrong Tour de France.

It certainly said something that an aging 41-year-old who has been retired from the tour for eight years was the only potential newsmaker for the Americans.

SUDDENLY, ANDRE

The burning question of tennis: Who Hit Andre?

Agassi, who did not make the trip here for the semifinals, was in a minor car accident and hurt his back the day he returned to Las Vegas from Wimbledon.

Mysteriously, no accident report was filed and police knew nothing of the incident. Agassi’s representative, Perry Rogers, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that $11,000 of damage was caused to his car, and that no police report was filed because Agassi knew the person driving the other vehicle.

Rogers also told the Review-Journal Saturday that there was a “60%” chance Agassi would be able to play his first match in Los Angeles Tuesday, and that he would not be participating in tonight’s celebrity charity event at UCLA.

McEnroe had thought Agassi pulled out of the tournament, saying:

“Whether or not he pulled out or not doesn’t change the fact that him not being here was hugely disappointing. Whether or not he plays L.A. doesn’t matter. It stings already he didn’t come here. L.A is a lot different from here. It’s like night and day.”

OLYMPIC NEWS

Joining Agassi in Sydney for the Olympics will be Michael Chang. Chang, the fourth-seeded player in the UCLA event, said he decided to play after much contemplation. The Olympics falls between the U.S. Open and an important season-ending Asian swing for Chang.

“I’m pretty excited about it,” he said. “Barcelona was not a good experience for me. But now I’ve got an opportunity to go, and this might be my last chance to take advantage.”

Chang spent last week running a Christian tennis camp in Southern California, trying to provide a spiritual and sporting boost to tennis-playing youngsters. His game too has steadily improved.

“At this stage last year, I wouldn’t have even had a chance at the Olympics,” he said. “I feel likes it’s been a gradual improvement for me. I’ve made a few adjustments in my training here and there.”

The USTA is expected to announce shortly that Stan Smith will be the Olympic men’s tennis coach. McEnroe said he was not interested in being the coach and thought Smith was a good choice.

QUOTE, UNQUOTE

* “We have no real understanding why he is not even coming up here [to the Davis Cup semifinals] and supporting or whatever. We just want to keep in the loop on everything. We want to know if we have done something wrong as a team. Until he sort of opens up to that, we are going to struggle.”--Lleyton Hewitt, on the relationship between Mark Philippoussis and other members of the Australian Davis Cup team.

* “We could have been here a month and still had the same results because these guys are so tough on this dirt.”--Jan-Michael Gambill, on playing Spain.