Sporting Digest: Tennis

Pat Rafter, twice winner of the US Open, is prepared to sacrifice world rankings and disregard ATP tour rules next season in an attempt to help Australia retain the Davis Cup. Rafter, who was recovering from shoulder surgery when Mark Philippousis guided Australia to Davis Cup success against France, said missing the event prompted a rethink of his comeback schedule. "Missing the final, you realise how important Davis Cup tennis is and where I want to be," he said. "The ranking doesn't mean anything to me next year."

Australian tennis officials announced yesterday that a new 10,000 seat stadium in Melbourne would not be ready for the Australian Open in January. "We all thought we may have a race to the finish, however, after a site inspection it became clear the stadium will not be ready for January 17, 2000," Geoff Pollard, president of Tennis Australia, said.