Patrick McEnroe resigned as U.S. Davis Cup captain Monday, saying his 10-year tenure will end after the Americans' playoff against Colombia this month.
McEnroe led the United States to a Davis Cup title in 2007. This year, though, the Americans must win in the playoffs to secure a spot in the top tier of the Davis Cup, the first time they have found themselves in that position since 2005.
The younger brother of seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe said he wanted to dedicate his time to his family and his other jobs. Already a TV analyst, he was hired two years ago to run the U.S. Tennis Association's program to develop elite players.
"Player development is really a consuming job," McEnroe said. "An exciting job, a job that I love, but it takes a lot of time and a lot of effort."
McEnroe mentioned Jim Courier and Todd Martin as obvious candidates for the position. Courier, a four-time major champion, said while calling the U.S. Open for CBS on Monday that he would be interested.
The 2007 title was the Americans' first since 1995, ending the longest drought in U.S. Davis Cup history. McEnroe's record is 16-9, second only to Tom Gorman's 18 wins.
"No regrets. It was a great run," McEnroe said. "Obviously I wish we could've won more. But I wanted to accomplish a couple of things when I took over, which was obviously to get the players that were passionate about playing ... give us a chance to be competitive every year."
Under McEnroe, the lineup of Andy Roddick, James Blake and Bob and Mike Bryan played in 10 consecutive Davis Cup events.
"Patrick changed the culture of Davis Cup in the United States, creating a true team environment and a sense of camaraderie that the U.S. has never before seen," Jim Curley, the USTA's chief professional tournaments officer, said in a statement. "He has been a champion of the competition in every sense of the word, and elevated the stature of the event in this country."
McEnroe said Mardy Fish, Sam Querrey, John Isner and Ryan Harrison will represent the U.S. team in Colombia. Because of the altitude in Bogota, he wanted to bring an extra singles player in case somebody struggled to adjust.
The Atlanta Thrashers signed free-agent forward Fredrik Modin, giving the team another veteran with experience in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Modin, 35, had 11 points in 44 games with Columbus and the Los Angeles Kings last season. He signed a one-year contract. Modin helped Tampa Bay win the 2004 Stanley Cup Championship and won a gold medal with Sweden in the '06 Olympics.
Iranian wrestlers won two of three gold medals on the opening day of the wrestling world championships in Moscow. Defending champion Hamid Mohammad Soryan defeated Gyu-Jin Choi of South Korea to win the Greco-Roman final at 121 pounds and claim his fifth major title. Ammir Aziz Aliakkbari beat Tsimafei Dzeinichenka of Belarus to claim the Greco-Roman gold at 211 pounds. Russia's Ambako Vachadze took his first major title by outpointing Armen Vardanyan of Ukraine in the Greco-Roman final at 145 pounds.
Snowboardcross was the most hazardous sport at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, with nearly 75 percent of female athletes sustaining injuries during the rough-and-tumble races. According to a medical study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, at least 11 percent of all athletes at the games in February sustained injuries -- including 20 concussions.
The leader of Munich's bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics resigned for health reason, leaving figure skating great Katarina Witt with a more prominent role in the campaign. Willy Bogner announced that he had an unspecified bowel disease. He said he was stepping down after doctors recommended he avoid long-distance travel. Munich is competing against Annecy, France; and Pyeongchang, South Korea. The IOC will select the host city in July 2011.
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