Connors Joins McEnroe in Boycott of U.S. Davis Cup Team

Jimmy Connors joined John McEnroe Wednesday in boycotting the U.S. Davis Cup team’s second-round match against West Germany in August because of a requirement that team members sign a good-conduct pledge.

Connors, in Duesseldorf, West Germany, to play in the Nations Cup along with McEnroe, said he will not play in the Davis Cup again because the U.S. Tennis Assn. (USTA) insisted on the pledge. Connors has played in the Davis Cup infrequently in recent years.

“I am playing no more Davis Cup in my career,” Connors said. “The code played a part, but it was also for personal reasons.

“I still enjoy playing, but I am fed up with a lot of other acts around the game. It’s not my time to say what now, but I will speak shortly.”

In New York, Ed Fabricus, spokesman for the U.S. Tennis Assn., said: “Needless to say, you’re always disappointed when players of that caliber will not be available for the Davis Cup team. That’s their decision, and we respect their decision.”

The USTA decided on the action at the request of Louisiana Pacific, a major American Davis Cup sponsor, which said it was disturbed by the behavior of Connors and McEnroe during the U.S. loss to Sweden in the Davis Cup final last December.

McEnroe was one of four players fined for infractions so far during the Nations Cup.

The American star was fined $1,250 for insulting the umpire, while Juan Aguilera of Spain and Ivan Lendl of Czechoslovakia were fined $1,000 each for wearing oversized promotional patches on their sleeves. Jose Higueras of Spain was fined $350 for kicking a ball.

McEnroe clashed with referee Kurt Magnusson of Sweden on Tuesday, and the verbal assault continued Wednesday.

“You should not be in that chair, on this court or in this country,” McEnroe told the official.

Magnusson responded by taking a point from McEnroe.

“I don’t protest for the fun of it,” McEnroe said. “I don’t need to win that way. But this referee was responsible for the unnecessary things that happened. This man is incompetent.”

The doubles team of Ken Flach and Robert Seguos helped the United States overcome a loss by Connors in a 2-1 victory over Spain in the Nations Cup tournament.

McEnroe won the third set of a match postponed by rain Tuesday to finish a 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Aguilera. Higueras defeated Connors, 2-6, 7-6, 6-1.

That left it up to Flach and Seguso, who defeated Aguilera and Higueras, 6-2, 6-0.

Lendl and Tomas Smid came from behind to defeat Mats Wilander and Anders Jarryd, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, and complete a 3-0 victory for Czechoslovakia over Sweden.

Second-seeded Helena Sukova of Czechoslovakia fought off four match points and outlasted Susan Mascarin, 3-6, 8-6, 6-0, in the second round of the Women’s European Open at Lugano, Switzerland.

Mascarin was leading, 6-3, 2-1, when the match was delayed by rain Tuesday night. When the match resumed, Mascarin failed on four match points in a second-set tiebreaker and lost, 8-6, before being overpowered in the third set.

In other second-round matches, Bonnie Gadusek beat Etsuko Inoue of Japan, 6-3, 6-4; Rafella Reggi of Italy defeated Liliane Drescher, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6; Manuela Maleeva of Bulgaria bested Marcella Skuherska of Czechoslovakia, 6-2, 6-1; Bettina Bunge of West Germany beat Christiane Jolissaint of Switzerland, 6-3, 6-2; Angeliki Kaenlopoulos of Greece outlasted Iva Budarova of Czechoslovakia, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6; Kathy Rinaldi beat Petra Jauch Delhees of Switzerland, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1; Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina routed Renee Uys, 6-0, 6-1, and Carina Karlsson of Sweden held off Mary Jo Fernandez, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

In first-round matches, Inoue beat Nathalie Herreman of France, 4-6, 6-0, 6-1; Reggi beat Drescher, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6; Marianne Groat of Canada defeated Vicky Nelson, 6-0, 6-1, and Anna Maria Cecchini of Italy overcame Michelle Torres, 0-6, 6-3, 6-3.