TENNIS / DAVIS CUP : U.S., Sweden Go Shopping for a Berth in Final

Brimming with importance, weighted with gravity and overloaded with seriousness, the Davis Cup semifinal between the United States and Sweden officially got under way Thursday when the draw was held . . . at a mall?

It was sort of an unusual venue, or so said John McEnroe, who termed the atmosphere “goofy.”

Between a shoe store and a jewelry shop, the Davis Cup draw was conducted behind a cordoned-off area in the middle of a downtown shopping mall full of bag-carrying bargain hunters.

Cheers greeted the U.S. team’s arrival for the ceremony on the down escalator. The Swedes, led by Stefan Edberg, came out from behind a blue curtain. They had arrived earlier, possibly so they could get some shopping done.

Of course, what they are looking for is an upset over the U.S. team that is supposed to roll them up and stack them in the corner of the Target Center.

Will it happen? The goateed Swedish television commentator wasn’t so sure.

“The Swedish team has nothing to lose,” Mats Wilander said. “And despite what the Americans say about winning, they know very well that Edberg is quite capable of winning both his singles matches and the doubles. So I would not go so far as to say it’s a sure thing.”

Wilander may be right. But in any event, the only sure thing at this point is that Jim Courier will play 21-year-old Davis Cup newcomer Nicklas Kulti in the first singles match today, followed by Andre Agassi’s match with Edberg.

In the doubles Saturday, McEnroe and Pete Sampras, who have never played together, face Sweden’s veteran doubles team of Edberg and Anders Jarryd.

Courier plays Edberg and Agassi plays Kulti on Sunday, which will end with one of the teams winning at least three matches over the three-day event and going on to the Davis Cup final.

The United States is going to be that team, according to McEnroe, who has estimated the chances of an American victory at 95%. If so, the key player is undoubtedly Edberg.

Two weeks ago, Edberg won his second U.S. Open in particularly exhausting style--28 sets of tennis, including a 5 1/2-hour semifinal victory over Michael Chang. Edberg rallied from behind in his last four matches.

Does he have anything left? Edberg said he does indeed.

“I still have this one thing left in me--it’s this one here,” Edberg said. “I think things are going to be all right.”

Maybe the U.S. team believes Edberg will be too pooped to have much pop in his serve. Edberg said he is aware of his task, but is also rested and ready.

“It will be a tough week, but I know I can do it,” he said. “I think physically and mentally I’m in good shape. I’m well prepared for it.”

Actually, Edberg prepared for the Davis Cup by having his wife, Annette, trim his hair, and also by vacationing in Barbados.

And what did he do there?

“I went into the sea.”

For the next three days, he will play on clay. The United States Tennis Assn. had a red clay court built inside the Target Center, for two main reasons:

--It’s Edberg’s worst surface.

--It’s Agassi and Courier’s best surface.

But the clay has proved to be a lot harder and faster than the USTA expected, a circumstance that will help Edberg, so it’s entirely possible they will be dumping water on the stuff pretty soon.

Edberg was even-handed in his assessment of the clay surface: “It’s not bad, it’s reasonable. It’s not quick, it’s now slow.”

He was quite sure it was clay, though.

Courier, who lost his No. 1 ranking to Edberg at the Open, has a chance to get the United States off to a quick start against the inexperienced Kulti and to redeem himself for some less than scintillating performances in Davis Cup.

So far, Courier has won exactly one more Davis Cup match than Kulti, who has never played one. Courier is 1-3, with two losses in Mexico, a victory over Carl-Uwe Steeb and a loss to Michael Stich in last year’s U.S.-Germany semifinal at Kansas City.

“I feel good,” Courier said. “Every day is a new day when you come out and play.”

For Kulti, being here is something of a surprise. Two weeks ago, he wasn’t even on the team and now he is playing the first match. Kulti is a replacement for Magnus Gustafsson, who injured his ankle in practice last week.

“It’s a little bit surprising,” Kulti said. “But I’m just going to try to relax and enjoy it.”

That may not be easy. Kulti is an accomplished clay-court player and reached the quarterfinals at the French Open by beating McEnroe and Michael Chang. But in seven tournaments since, he hasn’t gotten out of the second round.

Hampered by a leg injury, Kulti is ranked No. 71. Courier is No. 2.

“He’s a good clay-court player, but is he capable of beating Courier and Agassi?” McEnroe said. “No, I don’t think he will beat either.”

Agassi and Edberg have never played one another on clay, although in the five times they have met, Edberg has won three.

In fact, Agassi asked for some help from the crowd to maybe even things up for him.

“Anybody who has Swedish flags painted on their faces, shut them up a little bit,” he said.

Davis Cup Notes

The United States is 5-1 against Sweden in Davis Cup, but the last time the countries met was in the 1984 final at Goteborg, Sweden, where the Swedes won, 4-1. The clinching match? Stefan Edberg and Anders Jarryd defeated John McEnroe and Peter Fleming in doubles. Edberg and Jarryd play McEnroe and Pete Sampras in the doubles match Saturday. . . . Nicklas Kulti is 0-2 against Jim Courier and 1-0 against Agassi. . . . As a Davis Cup sidelight, McEnroe continues to lobby for the job of U.S. captain, which Tom Gorman holds and wants to keep for 1993. McEnroe is considered a longshot, although he is favored by the players. The ultimate decision is made by the USTA, with whom McEnroe has had an often stormy relationship.

At the post-draw news conference, when a photographer’s camera automatically began rewinding the film inside, McEnroe said jokingly, “Can you wait until after the press conference, please?” At the U.S. Open, McEnroe became enraged by a photographer rewinding film during play. The photographer made a vulgar gesture and was ejected. This time, McEnroe playfully asked the photographer if his camera automatically rewinds the film. Courier interrupted: “No, John, it only automatically rewinds when you are about to serve.”