ONLY a short time ago the organisers of the Grand Slam Cup were crowing rather ostentatiously about the line up for this week's dollar laden end of season tournament - which opens this morning with Germany's Michael Stich, the former Wimbledon champion, playing Britain's Tim Henman, the man who - every tennis fan in Britain would love to see win Wimbledon. Or anything.

Not only was Munich going to play host to six top Americans, it was also planning to give a rousing send off into retirement to Sweden's Stefan Edberg.

Well, not any more. Edberg, quite rightly decided that Malmo and the Davis Cup would be his swan song, preferring to put tradition ahead of mere money, while the American contingent was sliced in half at the weekend when Pete Sampras and Michael Chang, the two leading ranked players in the world, were joined by Todd Martin on the sick list.

Martin's shoulder injury continues to trouble him and his absence is not unreasonable, but both Chang and Sampras are apparently sick of tennis (at least the European variety) rather than anything else untoward.

Add the name of Austria's Thomas Muster to the original 16 who had qualified for this knock out tournament and it becomes clear that the competition, in its seventh year, is struggling. Next year it will be switched to September thus coinciding with Munich's famous beerfest, but when all is said and done, this is yet again another Beckerfest - as was the recent ATP cup final in Hanover when Sampras defeated the 29 year old German. Becker's age is pertinent. Edberg has retired at 30 and it cannot be long now before Becker throws his racquets under the stairs. And what will the ATP Cup and the Grand Slam Cup do then?

The ATP Cup, in which the world's top eight players compete, will doubtless survive even if it has to switch countries because the players; run the Tour and you will not catch them pulling out of their own event. Patently, this is not something new they care less for this competition which falls under the auspices of the International Tennis Federation.

Interestingly Brian Tobin, the president of the ITF, which runs the four Grand Slams, ducked a question in Malmo concerning the late withdrawal of Sampras and Chang.

"The event is run by the Grand Slam Cup committee," he said. "I cannot really talk about it."

The sound of hands being washed was almost audible. Tobin was altogether more forthright about the future of the Davis Cup which has been attacked from certain quarters by those he described as "malcontents."

Leading the attack have been Sampras and Agassi who make more money out of the game than most. Both have suggested the Davis Cup should perhaps be held every two or four years.

It has been annual since its inception in 1900 and Tobin forcefully stressed it would stay that way, a view echoed on Sunday night by France's non playing captain - Yannick Noah after his team had achieved such a glorious 3-2 victory over Sweden on a final day which produced two five-set matches of vivid theatre.

As Noah eloquently stated, the Davis Cup is not about individuals or contracts or any of the paraphernalia surrounding the ATP tour and is dollar treadmill. It is about players coming together as a team.

Thank goodness, it throws up men "like Edberg. It still takes some believing that he has really finally gone.