TENNIS / JULIE CART : Now, What Will Gullikson’s Strategy Be Against Russians?

Give Tom Gullikson, U.S. Davis Cup captain, the most-valuable-member award for his team management in the U.S. victory over Sweden Sept. 23-25 in the semifinal at Las Vegas.

Gullikson’s much-questioned choice of Todd Martin proved to be brilliant. Martin was selected to play doubles, Gullikson said, but also because he gave the U.S. team a comfortable fall-back position in singles should Pete Sampras or Andre Agassi get injured. Insurance seemed unnecessary at the time but became crucial when Agassi came up sore.

Perhaps Gullikson was mindful of last year’s Davis Cup scenario, when an overplayed and tired Sampras defaulted a critical singles match against Sweden in the semifinals. Wasn’t the situation identical this year? Agassi had admitted at the U.S. Open that his long hard-court season had taken a toll on his legs. Thus, his shoulder injury on the final day was hardly surprising.

Was Agassi really injured to the extent that he could not play Thomas Enqvist? Or was he hampered just enough so that he might lose in front of his hometown crowd?

In any event, his participation in the second round of singles wasn’t so crucial to the U.S., even with the team holding only a 2-1 lead after doubles, since there seemed little doubt that Sampras would squash Mats Wilander in the second match.

But did anyone else think it was a little much to see Agassi, shirtless, so that we might better see the web of bandages and straps, cheering on Martin?

Anyway, by all accounts Agassi was a gracious host. For once, the players weren’t acting like shut-ins and got out into the city where they were staying. The U.S. and Swedish teams fraternized nightly, patronizing the gaming tables and generally having a great time.

Absent from the casinos was Agassi, who came out once to underwrite the $40,000 closure of an amusement park so the players on both teams could have it to themselves, and once treated his teammates to dinner at his house.

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The intrigue should be thick when the United States plays the Russians at Moscow in December.

The Russians’ 3-2 victory over Germany was remarkable and involved using home advantage to their greatest benefit. The Americans chose a fast hard court at altitude, the Russians chose slow clay, then made it slower.

The day before the first match, Russian players tried out the clay courts at Olympic Stadium and pronounced them too fast. Sometime in the wee hours of Friday morning a hose was dragged onto the court and the surface was given a long soaking. By match time on Friday, the sodden clay was ready to blunt the serves of Boris Becker and Michael Stich, two of the best servers in the game.

Then the Russians went out and faced down a team that in rankings and on paper was far superior. Andrei Chesnokov’s clinching singles match--he staved off nine match points against Stich--epitomized the verve of the Russian team.

This was the same team, that, in April, had threatened a boycott if the match were not held at Sochi instead of Moscow. It mattered not if the players were performing for personal pride, national pride or spite. They won.

The Germans were the same players who required an escalating series of contracts with their federation before they would play. Becker, whose contract calls for about $4 million, was unable to play the second round of singles in Moscow because of a back injury. He recovered in time to play a tournament last week.

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What will Gullikson choose to do in Moscow, on a surface that will makes Roland Garros’ slow red clay look like an ice rink?

Whom to play on clay? Michael Chang, a great clay-court player? No way, not with the relationship among all parties. Jim Courier, the Davis Cup stalwart and clay-court specialist? Yes.

Look for Sampras to play doubles with Martin and lend an intimidating presence.

Sampras was asked in Las Vegas if he intended to play, even on his worst surface. He said he would.

Gullikson defended Sampras by saying, “He’s won two Grand Slams this year.”

Sampras, smiling, broke in, saying, “Yeah, but not the French Open.”