Tennis : USTA Loses Much More in Credibility Than It Gains in Medal Chances

The United States Tennis Assn.’s handling of the Elise Burgin/Chris Evert Olympic situation may be remembered as the organization’s biggest gaffe since not letting John McEnroe play Davis Cup for two years after the 1984 final against Sweden.

That decision, in the long run, helped plunge the U.S. Davis Cup team to the bush leagues in 1988--from which it just emerged with last month’s victory over Argentina.

And bush league is the best way to describe how the USTA dealt with Burgin. The result of this bungled matter has cost the USTA more in the credibility department than it can recoup with any medal Evert might win as Burgin’s late replacement.

Marty Riessen, the U.S. women’s coach, spoke about a loss of principle. Last week, many of Burgin’s colleagues on the tour agreed with Riessen to various degrees.

“I think Burgin has gotten the rawest deal I’ve ever heard of in my life,” Patty Fendick told the San Diego Union. “They forgot Elise Burgin was in the top 25 in the world before she had knee surgery.”

Burgin had knee surgery in March. It was the excuse the USTA used when it announced that Evert was replacing Burgin.

When Evert told The Times she had reconsidered and would accept an invitation to compete at Seoul, an official on the women’s tour predicted exactly what the USTA would do.

“They’ll just use the knee surgery as an excuse,” the official said.

Never mind that Burgin had recovered. She has played all summer--competing in singles, doubles and mixed doubles in a TeamTennis match the night before the USTA released a statement saying she would withdraw because she had not fully recovered from the surgery.

Burgin handled the situation with a good measure of class and humor at a news conference Monday at the Forum. There were no heated words; she was obviously careful not to burn any bridges. And, if the USTA were to come calling again, Burgin said she’d be ready to play.

“That’s part of your responsibility as an American,” she said. “Any time you have that honor, you accept it.”

At least one realization came out of all this: December, 1987, was too early to name a team that was to compete in September, 1988. The USTA should have made it a tentative squad with the option of making changes until July 31. And, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) could have reserved several wild-card spots for top players, leaving the door open for players such as Evert, Martina Navratilova, McEnroe and Andre Agassi.

Agassi was just another face in the crowd last December. Now, he’s the No. 4-ranked player in the world, a Davis Cup fixture and the future of U.S. men’s tennis.

The 1988 U.S. men’s Olympic tennis team? Tim Mayotte, Brad Gilbert and the doubles team of Ken Flach and Robert Seguso.

The USTA reportedly asked Agassi whether he wanted to compete at Seoul. However, the 18-year-old has a commitment to the Grand Prix tournament in Los Angeles and other business matters and declined. Otherwise, Gilbert, who has been struggling this summer, would have been commiserating with Burgin.

Hello, Brad, the USTA here. Remember that knee injury you had a couple of years ago? Yeah. It’s still hurting you, isn’t it . . .

For Ivan Lendl, it would sometimes seem that there is more happiness to be found on the golf course or at the hockey rink.

Even during important tournaments, Lendl usually manages to break away for a few rounds on a nearby course.

“People always think that golf is my favorite sport,” he said after a news conference last week at the Forum. “But they’re wrong, it’s hockey. That’s my No. 1 sport.”

Lendl is so devoted that he will often make the 90-mile drive from his home in Greenwich, Conn., to attend Hartford Whalers games.

Recently, a tennis magazine reported that the owner of the Whalers, Howard Baldwin, invited Lendl to the Whalers’ training camp this fall.

Lendl laughed.

“I’m not that good,” he said. “And, besides, I don’t have the time.”

Baldwin is a close friend of Lendl, and Baldwin’s wife, Karen, is going to play the role of tennis great Suzanne Lenglen in a movie.

Add Lendl: He knew that Stefan Edberg couldn’t have passed him on the Assn. of Tennis Professionals computer rankings last week.

When Lendl lost to Roger Smith in the second round at Stratton Mountain, Vt., the ATP announced that, as a result, Lendl’s reign at No. 1 was over.

A day later, the ATP corrected itself and said, yes, Lendl would stay at No. 1 for the 151st straight week.

“I was actually laughing at it,” Lendl said. “It’s easy to say right now, but when I saw that, I thought to myself, ‘That’s wrong.’ I didn’t think it was right when they said that Edberg has passed me. It didn’t really bother me that much.

“Math used to be my hobby. I know a little bit about points and numbers. But it (losing the top spot) is going to happen sooner or later, anyhow.”

Edberg, too, laughed when he heard of the miscue. His agent called him in London to explain what happened just as the papers were coming out, proclaiming Edberg as the new No. 1.

“I kind of compared it to Dewey defeating Truman,” said Edberg’s agent, Tom Ross. “But I don’t think he understood that.”

Tennis Notes

Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova are scheduled to play in an exhibition Nov. 27 at the Forum. According to the latest rankings, Navratilova is No. 2 and Evert No. 3. The two last met in the Wimbledon semifinals with Navratilova winning on a note of controversy over a line call on match point. . . . Collegiate players Stella Sampras (UCLA) and Lupita Novelo (USC) were given a wild-card berth in the doubles competition in this week’s $300,000 Virginia Slims of Los Angeles in Manhattan Beach. Sampras, as a freshman, won the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. doubles title in May with Allyson Cooper. Other wild cards have been given to Elise Burgin and Susan Mascarin, both in the singles draw. Nicole London of Rolling Hills capped her four years in the girls’ 12-and-under division with a victory in the U.S. Tennis Assn. national clay-court championships a week ago last Saturday in Plantation, Fla. The third-seeded London, 12, beat top-seeded Varalee Sureephong, 6-3, 6-4, to win her first national singles championship. London and Lindsay Davenport of Palos Verdes then took the doubles title, winning in straight sets. London moves up to compete in the 14-and-under national this week in Atlanta.

There will be several International Tennis Federation tournaments for veteran players held at two locations in Orange County this month. First is the California Veteran tournament Aug. 15-19 at Los Caballeros Sports Village in Fountain Valley for men and women in various age groups. Three men’s team competitions--the Dubler Cup (45 and over), the Austria Cup (55 and over) and Britannia Cup (65 and over)--will be held Aug. 16-21 at Lindborg Racquet Club in Huntington Beach. The final event, for both men and women, is the ITF Championships Aug. 22-28 at Los Caballeros and Lindborg. Among the players expected to compete are Bobby Riggs, Pancho Gonzalez, Whitney Reed, Sven Davidson, Judy Louie and Charleen Hildebrand.