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**Retapleapse** · 01-15-2009, 02:24 AM

Garrison's Strange Lawsuit;
By Matthew Cronin, TennisReporters.net

According to the Sports Business Journal, Zina Garrison, arguably the least successful captain in U.S. Fed Cup history, is about to sue the USTA for racial discrimination. Garrison, whose tenure as captain was marked by team ineptitude and a mediocre 5-5 record, is said to have been in unsuccessful settlement talks with the USTA.

Her lawyer told the SBJ that Garrison is seeking millions of dollars in back pay and damages.
The possibility of a suit is stunning, given that Garrison, former Fed Cup coach, was handed the job after Billie Jean King resigned in 2004 and lobbied heavily for her assistant to be given the post. In four years as captain, Garrison failed to secure even one title for the 17-time Cup champion U.S. In her 10 matches as captain, the team had a 5-5 record and was unable to win a significant match, as she was unable to recruit Serena Williams to play more than once and even though she had her friend Venus on the squad for the 2007 semifinals at home in Vermont against Russia (her one great chance to take down that mighty team), she could not coax the squad to victory, as Venus and Lisa Raymond gagged in a stunning doubles loss to Nadia Petrova and Elena Vesnina.

Other US players –such as Jill Craybas, Laura Granville and Meilen Tu, complained about Garrison’s lack of communication skills. Last year, the USTA announced that Garrison would be replaced by Hispanic-American Mary Joe Fernandez in 2009, and Garrison seemed to be pleased with the transition and said she was ready to pursue other interests. The U.S. was swept by Russia on clay in Moscow.

Garrison has also served as USTA board member and committee member, as well as a two-time Olympic captain, so it’s not as if she's been ignored. In fact, her captaincy was pretty heavily promoted. Her friend, Fernandez, has to be embarrassed, and the same might go for King. The USTA is not planning to settle, so things could get ugly. Stay tuned.

http://www.tennisreporters.net/garrison_011309.html

01-15-2009, 02:24 AM	#1
Retapleapse Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 480 Senior Member	Cronin on Garrison vs. USTA Garrison's Strange Lawsuit; By Matthew Cronin, TennisReporters.net According to the Sports Business Journal, Zina Garrison, arguably the least successful captain in U.S. Fed Cup history, is about to sue the USTA for racial discrimination. Garrison, whose tenure as captain was marked by team ineptitude and a mediocre 5-5 record, is said to have been in unsuccessful settlement talks with the USTA. Her lawyer told the SBJ that Garrison is seeking millions of dollars in back pay and damages. The possibility of a suit is stunning, given that Garrison, former Fed Cup coach, was handed the job after Billie Jean King resigned in 2004 and lobbied heavily for her assistant to be given the post. In four years as captain, Garrison failed to secure even one title for the 17-time Cup champion U.S. In her 10 matches as captain, the team had a 5-5 record and was unable to win a significant match, as she was unable to recruit Serena Williams to play more than once and even though she had her friend Venus on the squad for the 2007 semifinals at home in Vermont against Russia (her one great chance to take down that mighty team), she could not coax the squad to victory, as Venus and Lisa Raymond gagged in a stunning doubles loss to Nadia Petrova and Elena Vesnina. Other US players –such as Jill Craybas, Laura Granville and Meilen Tu, complained about Garrison’s lack of communication skills. Last year, the USTA announced that Garrison would be replaced by Hispanic-American Mary Joe Fernandez in 2009, and Garrison seemed to be pleased with the transition and said she was ready to pursue other interests. The U.S. was swept by Russia on clay in Moscow. Garrison has also served as USTA board member and committee member, as well as a two-time Olympic captain, so it’s not as if she's been ignored. In fact, her captaincy was pretty heavily promoted. Her friend, Fernandez, has to be embarrassed, and the same might go for King. The USTA is not planning to settle, so things could get ugly. Stay tuned. http://www.tennisreporters.net/garrison_011309.html
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