Russia coach Shamil Tarpishchev, whose team faces the United States in this weekend's Davis Cup final, compares his job to that of a national soccer team manager before an important World Cup or Euro qualifier.

 

"Being a Davis Cup coach is like managing a national soccer team," Tarpishchev told Reuters in an interview ahead of the three-day final in Portland, Oregon.

 

"You only get three or four days, maybe a week at most, to get your team ready. If you're coaching individual (tennis) players then it's more like being a club manager who gets a chance to work with his side on a day-to-day basis.

 

"Players come to you in different physical condition and you must get them to a more or less same level in a very short time.

 

"So in that respect, I sympathize with (Russia coach) Guus Hiddink or any of his football colleagues. But in many ways my job is even tougher than theirs," said Tarpishchev, who admitted that soccer was his first love.

 

"Tennis is an individual sport so for Davis Cup you also have to make them shift their focus to fit the team's needs.

 

"Besides, most top soccer players are based in Europe so they don't have to travel long distances to join their national teams for international matches, while tennis players often criss-cross continents for Davis Cup duty."

 

To prove his case, he pointed to Russia No 1 Nikolay Davydenko, who took part in the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai a fortnight before the Davis Cup final.

 

"Take Davydenko for example," said Tarpishchev. "He was playing in Asia and now must adjust to different time zones in America. The same goes for the rest of our squad.

 

"So if you want to compare tennis to soccer, then my job more resembles that of Brazil's coach. His players also travel a lot because most of them play for European clubs."

 

Team spirit

 

To build team spirit, Tarpishchev, who doubles as Russia's Fed Cup coach, often includes soccer in his training regime.

 

"Playing soccer on a tennis court is good cardio-vascular exercise. Besides, it helps them to relax, takes their mind off upcoming matches," he said, naming clay-court specialist Igor Andreev as the best soccer player on his Davis Cup team.

 

"But almost everyone else plays soccer well, with the exception of Dmitry Tursunov. He grew up in America, so his favorite sport is American football."

 

Russia's tennis teams, with Tarpishchev at the helm, have won three Fed and two Davis Cups since 2002.

 

Tarpishchev is fast approaching the Davis Cup record of former Australia captain Neale Fraser, who collected 49 wins as he led his side to four Davis Cup titles in the 1970s and 1980s.

 

The Russian has chalked up 45 victories in 66 Davis Cup ties. He has also won 27 of 36 Fed Cup matches.

 

This weekend he will try to achieve a historic double by becoming the first captain to lead his teams to Davis and Fed Cup titles in the same year.

 

Home advantage

 

Tarpishchev said Russia, which beat Argentina 3-2 in last year's final in Moscow, faced an uphill battle against a powerful US team.

 

"First of all, they have home-court advantage," he said.

 

"Then, we'll be playing on a fast surface, which suits both of their singles players (James Blake and Andy Roddick)."

 

The Russians will be missing their charismatic leader, former world No 1 Marat Safin, who has struggled to find top form since coming back from a knee injury.

 

"So I rate our chances 40-60 in favor of the US but you never know," said Tarpishchev, dubbed a "tennis genius" by his US adversary Patrick McEnroe after Russia beat the Americans 3-2 in last year's semifinals. "There are so many variables that could have a bearing on the final outcome."

 

Tarpishchev said he wanted his team to emulate Hiddink's squad, who last week reached the Euro 2008 finals after a seemingly impossible turn of events in their qualifying group.

 

Few in Russia counted on a happy ending after their team suffered a shock 2-1 loss in Israel. But four days later already-qualified Croatia stunned England 3-2 at Wembley, handing the Russians a lifeline.

 

"Who ever thought that Hiddink would lead Russia into Euro 2008, especially after they lost in Israel?" Tarpishchev said.

 

"Like most of the country we are still in a bit of shock. But maybe our team could do the same by winning in America."

 

(Agencies via China Daily November 28, 2007)