The Israeli women's tennis team begins its Fed Cup campaign in Eilat on Wednesday, in the first rubber of a 15-nation round-robin tournament to decide which two nations will be promoted. Israel has been drawn in the same group as the Netherlands, Great Britain and Portugal.
Eilat was selected to host the tournament because of the clement weather it enjoys year-round. So, after several days of decidedly European weather, the organizers have been wandering around the city with worried looks on the faces.
"It rained here all day Sunday," Israeli captain Lior Mor said on Tuesday. "But then the sun came out and it got a little warmer. The organizers are worried that the weather will interrupt play, but I am not concerned; I just want to get the competition started."
The 15 nations competing in Eilat have been divided into four pools. The top teams in each pool will go into a promotion playoff to determine which two will be promoted to the World Group II. The bottom four nations will go into a relegation playoff to determine which will be playing next year in the Europe/Africa Zone Group II.
Israel's first opponents in Pool C will be the Netherlands, which was due to be led by Arantxa Rus, who is ranked 80th in the world. Rus, however, has not traveled to Israel because of toothache, leaving Michaella Krajicek, ranked 93rd, at the Netherlands' top player.
Israel will be led by world number 37, Shahar Peer, along with newly crowded Israeli champion Julia Glushko (208th ). In tomorrow's other Group C clash, Great Britain takes on Portugal.
Concentration is key
"The key to each rubber is concentration," Mor said on Tuesday. We're facing three excellent teams and none of the games is a foregone conclusion. I'm obviously delighted that we have home advantage and that the crowd will be behind us. If we make it into Saturday's promotion playoff I will be ecstatic, but my main goal is not to finish in last place and suffer relegation to a lower group. I'm optimistic, but realistically I would be happy to finish second or third in the group."
Shahar Peer has just returned from injury and her performance in the Australian Open was disappointing. How do you think she will fare? "Shahar always gives her all when she's representing Israel. There's nothing we can do about her injury, but we've been working intensively with a physiotherapist to make sure she is in peak condition. She feels fine. All of the girls will be under a lot of physical pressure in the coming days and we can only hope they all come through it unscathed."
