Jim Courier - The new Davis Cup US Team captain: How good will he be?
This week, the U.S. Tennis Association made a long awaited, thought-over decision with their selection of former World Number 1, Jim Courier as the new captain for USA’s Davis Cup team. Jim Courier will be replacing Patrick McEnroe, also known as P-Mac,
who served the Davis Cup team for over a decade.
While the decision to make a high profile retired tennis player captain of the premier event’s team may be looked upon as a good idea, the fact remains that as a general rule of thumb, pros that were or are major influences in the tennis world tend to make
weaker captains.
A classic example of this is John McEnroe, who was one of the best tennis players ever to be seen on the court. He reached the World Number 1 spot during his career and has sincere passion for the game but despite this, he was only able to keep his position
as coach for one year before he resigned. High profile players therefore, are too used to getting their own way. McEnroe disapproved of the tournament’s format and lacked the diplomacy as well as expertise required to get valuable players on board for the
event.
In contrast to this, Patrick McEnroe replaced his brother to become the longest-serving captain of the US team. He instilled a sense of team spirit and camaraderie in the players. Under his wing, the team reclaimed the 2007 Davis Cup trophy after 12 years
of losing the tournament. Another indicator of his phenomenal diplomacy and leadership skills is that pro player Andy Roddick continued to play on the team year after year, which is highly uncommon for a player who has been in the top five ATP pros for as
long as Roddick had.
However, Courier has the advantage of coaching the US team for many years under P-Mac’s rule. He is already familiar with the team and its working system, and this may just be the ticket to success for the player. Despite this, the former World Number 1
still has big shoes to fill, keeping in mind that Patrick McEnroe was one of the most respected figures of the Davis Cup in recent years.
Jim Courier is a highly alert, intuitive player. He outdoes Patrick McEnroe on the court by a long shot. In addition to being World Number 1, he showcased an incredibly powerful backhand which saw him through to victories at several Grand Slams. He also
practiced a slugger’s backhand, and was capable of great mental toughness as well as physical endurance. His acuity and sense of judgement saw him through his career, in the duration of which he defeated players such as Todd Martin, Brad Gilbert, Mal Washington
and Andy Roddick’s coach, Larry Stefanki.
He is also the co-founder of Champions Series, which is a seniors’ tennis tour. As an added plus, he is an expert commentator and excels at depicting the game-play in a professional play-by-play manner. He is known to be great at convincing people and getting
his point across. The only problem which some players were worried about is his tendency to rant excessively – one worry which has been cleared up by his former coach, Brad Stine.
Stine said, on a phone call from Fresno, “As a coach, your role is a bit in the shadows...You’re sitting on the bench, but you’re not the guy performing. It’s not about you. It’s about the guys on the court and getting them to play the best they can. I think
Jim understands that. He’s always understood that.”
Perhaps, the only way to know for sure whether Courier will be as great a captain as he was a player is to wait for the playoffs in March 2011.
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