``The way the guys are feeling at the moment, they're saying the Americans can have their centenary match on their own,'' he told The Sydney Daily Telegraph.

``My players are very upset about it and I hope it doesn't escalate to the situation where they make themselves unavailable for the tie. I'm not saying the situation would escalate to a boycott, I'm saying it could.''

The International Tennis Federation on Thursday upheld its decision to award home advantage for the July tie to the US but reversed an earlier decision to play the match on clay, opting instead for hard court.

Under normal regulations, the match would be hosted by Australia as the last Davis Cup tie between the two nations was in the US in 1997.

However, the ITF decided two years ago to celebrate thecentenary of the Davis Cup by ensuring a US tie would be played in Boston, the city where the Cup was born.

``... The guys are having to eat losing the home ground advantage when it's our turn,'' Newcombe said.

``And that means a lot because the Americans get to choose the ball. They'll choose a heavy ball because they know that Pat would like something really light.''

Scheduled for July 16-18, the tie is set to feature the two most successful countries in Davis Cup history commemorating the first Cup tie between the US and Britain in 1900.

Whoever wins the Boston quarter-final will host a semi-final in September against the winner of the Russia-Slovak Republic quarter-final.