Davis Cup Doesn’t Run Over With Stars : Tennis: Gilbert and Krickstein go up against Czechoslovakia, which is without Mecir. But, oh, what might have been.

Thursday, on the eve of the Davis Cup second-round tennis match between the United States and Czechoslovakia, it was a time to ponder what might have been: Ivan Lendl and Miloslav Mecir against John McEnroe and Andre Agassi.

Today, however, is the time for reality: Milan Srejber and Petr Korda against Aaron Krickstein and Brad Gilbert.

Even U.S. Captain Tom Gorman, while quick to praise the players who will be representing their countries during the next three days at the Prague Sports Hall, seemed a little let down that the match does not have the marquee value that once seemed possible.

Certainly, Czech Captain Frank Pala was disappointed Thursday when he had to announce that his No. 1 player, former U.S. Open finalist Mecir, will miss the event with a back injury.

He hurt himself during a first-round loss three weeks ago in the Newsweek Champions Cup at Indian Wells, then had to withdraw from last week’s Lipton International Players Championship in Key Biscayne, Fla.

“In view of the fact there’s no Mecir, and we have Korda and Srejber in singles, it could be difficult,” Pala said.

Pala never expected to have Lendl, who last played for his native Czechoslovakia in 1981 before moving to the United States. But the Czechs were encouraged when Lendl returned to Prague for the first time in nine years three weeks ago to play an exhibition match.

A U.S. Tennis Assn. official said, however, that Lendl is reluctant to play for Czechoslovakia because he fears it might jeopardize his application for U.S. citizenship, which he hopes to receive in 1992.

Although Gorman’s team would not have benefited from Lendl’s presence on the opposing side, the U.S. captain said the experience of seeing Lendl play for his native country in front of a home crowd for perhaps the last time would have been worth the pain it might have caused.

“When I first saw that we might play Czechoslovakia, I was thinking about the potential of McEnroe-Lendl,” Gorman said. “It would have been phenomenal.”

McEnroe, who has won more Davis Cup matches than any other U.S. player, apparently has decided to concentrate elsewhere this year. Agassi, who already has beaten Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg this year, decided not to participate when Gorman would not allow the temperamental player to bring along his entourage.

Gorman refused to respond to the recent barbs Agassi has been volleying in his direction, and he said McEnroe is old enough to make his own decisions.

“He has different priorities than he had eight years ago,” Gorman said of McEnroe.

Besides, Gorman said, he is not unhappy with his singles players. Entering last week’s Key Biscayne tournament, Gilbert was ranked fourth in the world and Krickstein seventh.

In today’s matches, Krickstein will open against Srejber, and Gilbert will play Korda. They will switch opponents Sunday. On Saturday, the U.S. doubles team of Rick Leach and Jim Pugh is scheduled to meet Tomas Smid and Karel Novacek, although it is possible the Czechs will use a different pair.

The first team to win three matches will advance later this year to the third round against the winner of the Austria-Italy match.