DAVIS CUP TO START UNDER NEW PAY-FOR-PLAY FORMAT

          U.S. players in the Davis Cup "have had their pay
     quadrupled" from $25,000 per round to $100,000, according to
     Julie Cart of the L.A. TIMES.  Whether "for money or
     country, the event has drawn the participation" of the top
     two men's players, Pete Sampras and Michael Chang, who will
     play for the U.S. as they take on Australia in Washington
     this weekend.  While Cart wrote that "it always seems to be
     the Americans who are reluctant to represent their country
     in the nearly century-old Davis Cup," a USTA official said
     that the "impetus for the pay raise did not come from the
     players."  Players will also receive a bonus for playing in
     three rounds in a year, and may designate a charity or
     foundation to which the USTA pays the first $25,000 (L.A.
     TIMES, 9/16).  In N.Y., Robin Finn examined the Cup under
     the header, "American Players Resist Davis Cup.  Rest Of
     World Embraces The Competition" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/17).