Davis Cupper Eddy opts out of playoff against China
Davis Cupper Eddy opts out of playoff against China
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's Davis Cupper Eddy Kusdaryanto says he's opting out of the crucial playoff against China this weekend after being diagnosed as having hepatitis.
"If I had to choose, I'd prefer taking a break because I don't want to risk my career in tennis," Eddy said yesterday. "My doctor has reminded me not to force myself to play the match."
Laboratory doctors last Friday traced symptoms of hepatitis A in Eddy and suggested that he take a two-week rest. Eddy admitted that he had been infected with the disease when he was a child.
Eddy, expected to team up with Suwandi in this weekend's duel, has stopped practicing since Monday. Sebastian da Costa was named the last-minute replacement.
The duo of Eddy and Suwandi reached the men's doubles final in the Asian Championships in Manila last November.
Indonesian coach Deddy Prasetyo said that Eddy is undergoing a traditional medical treatment from a Chinese healer. Eddy has to consume 20 yellow pills every day.
"The medicine-man says that Eddy only needs to rest for three days and he'll be ready for the match," said Deddy, who has nurtured Eddy since he was a no-hoper a few years ago.
Earlier deputy secretary general of the Indonesian Tennis Association, Subiyanto, said that 20-year-old Eddy would miss the Davis Cup playoff, scheduled from Friday to Sunday.
Eddy, teaming up with Suwandi, stole the show with a consolation win in a Davis Cup first-round match against South Korea last February. Indonesia eventually lost 1-4 to South Korea.
Suwandi and Andrian Raturandang look certain to play first and second singles respectively. Deddy said that he has a few pairings for the doubles team.
"Andrian, Donny Susetyo and Sebastian are fit enough to play the doubles," he said.
China looks to give the first singles to two-times Asian Games gold medalist Pan Bing, and the second singles to Xia Jiaping. Both players are also almost certain to team up in the doubles, leaving team mates Zhang Jiuhua and Lu Ling sitting on the bench throughout the match.
Pan and Xia beat Suwandi and Eddy to win the Asian Championships doubles title last year.
In yesterday afternoon's practice, the Chinese hard court specialists took an hour to get used to the Senayan clay court. The organizers give each team two hours of morning practice and another two hours in the afternoon every day until Thursday.
None of the Chinese, however, seemed aware of Eddy's possible absence.
"I don't know. We'll just keep practicing for the upcoming matches," a towering Pan said.
China now leads Indonesia 2-1 in their three Davis Cup encounters, Indonesia beat China 4-1 in 1988 here, but Pan and Xia spearheaded China's 4-1 revenge in Beijing in the subsequent two years. (05)