The entries for the 29th ARAG ATP�World Team Championship�on May 21-27 are complete: Italy was awarded the wild card and will thus be the eighth team at the Duesseldorf Rochusclub. The Italians have not played the World Team Championship since 1984. Italy will be represented in the singles by 24-year-old Filippo Volandri (currently ranked 33rd) and 33-year-old Davide Sanguinetti (52).

The footsteps they will follow are large. Volandri (one ATP title so far) and Sanguinetti (two titles) will have to play very well if they want to continue the success of their three legendary predecessors, top ten players Corrado Barazzutti, Paolo Bertolucci and Adriano Panatta. This trio played in the World Team Championship finals in 1979 and 1980.

The other seven teams fighting for the World Championship - in addition to wild card team Italy - are Croatia, Argentina, USA, Czech Republic, title holders Germany, Spain and Chile. Four top ten players have entered: Andy Roddick (USA), Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia), Gaston Gaudio (Argentina) and David Ferrer (Spain). The US team will also consist of the Bryan twins, the world�s best doubles. Germany rely on Nicolas Kiefer and Tommy Haas.