U.S. Davis Cup Victory Easier Said Than Done

Jim Courier has never played in a Davis Cup tie that ended in defeat--let alone disaster--for his home nation, and the thought of suffering such an event had him laughing nervously in the middle of his match here Monday afternoon.

The Americans’ last hope for triumph in a first-round meeting with Russia, the U.S. veteran was getting sliced up by a baby-faced 18-year-old who had never played Davis Cup before this weekend, let alone won a match.

Two-plus hours, one major tactical change and a healthy dose of showmanship later, Courier turned his laughter into a shriek of celebration, as he rallied to defeat Marat Safin, 0-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, and give the Americans a 3-2 victory.

Overwhelmed, Courier fell to his knees after hitting a service winner on match point, then was mobbed by U.S. captain Tom Gullikson and the other members of the team.

“We’ve all made an effort to be here this week, and . . . somehow we managed to get the job done,” said Courier, who has played for the U.S. team 11 times. “You know, there’s no better feeling than being at the bottom of that pile. There’s a whole lot of love down there.”

After Andre Agassi had lost to Yevgeny Kafelnikov, 6-3, 6-0, 7-6 (7-3), in the day’s earlier match, Courier’s victory was necessary to spare the United States its first first-round Davis Cup loss since 1993. Instead of being embarrassed, the Americans won in true Davis Cup style, each of the four members of the team--Courier, Agassi, and doubles partners Todd Martin and Richey Reneberg--contributing a point to the victory.

The hero, though, was Courier, who took a lap around the court on Gullikson’s shoulders as the crowd screamed and his teammates laughed.

“To do it in the fifth set--whew--it’s basically what you wake up for every day,” Courier said. “It feels like vindication, really, for a lot of bad things.”

A one-time world No. 1, Courier has struggled with injuries lately and is ranked 53rd. He has been a bust at recent Grand Slam events, and when he blew a five-set match to Kafelnikov with a series of unforced errors on Saturday, he acknowledged that he was far from the player he once had been.

Monday, then, represented a magical moment for the 27-year-old who knew just how horrible it would be to lose to an 18-year-old on an international stage. Certainly, Safin had looked nervous in his first two matches here, and had played such scared tennis in the doubles Sunday that Kafelnikov, his partner, described him as not “mentally stable.”

He was a different player Monday. With Kafelnikov urging him on, Safin dismantled Courier in a first set that lasted all of 21 minutes, then broke him again at the start of the second.

“I didn’t know what to do out there,” Courier said. “My game just wasn’t matched up to his.”

Courier finally won a game at 0-2 in the second set, and when he did, he threw up his arms in mock celebration, inciting the crowd. He was broken again, though, and trailed, 4-1, in that set.

“Can you change the pace?” Gullikson asked during the changeover.

“I don’t know,” Courier said. “He’s blowing the ball right through me.”

But a game plan began to form: If Courier could start using his backhand slice to slow down the game, and if he used it to force Safin to the net, where Safin does not feel comfortable, maybe the match would change course.

Slowly, it started to work. Courier broke back, then held serve, then broke again to even the score at 4-4. That game ended when Courier ran down a long lob and Safin inexplicably failed to put away an easy overhead.

Thrilled, the entire U.S. team stood and cheered wildly.

The momentum started to swing then, as Safin’s confidence faltered and Courier won six consecutive games. Courier lost the third set, but rallied to win the fourth quickly, and, in doing so, pushed Safin into an area he’d never before been--the dreaded fifth set.

“I lost my serve,” Safin said. “I lost concentration. I was tired.”

His concentration problems were not helped by Courier’s uncharacteristic decision to play to the crowd. Courier waved his racket to the crowd like a conductor’s baton and pointed furiously at the rare clot of fans who failed to rise when he won a big point. Even Agassi, a master at such machinations, had to give his teammate credit.

“Good move,” Agassi said, nudging Courier during their celebratory news conference.

Agassi himself failed to rouse the crowd for his match, perhaps because he failed to rouse himself. His vaunted return game was a disaster--he couldn’t even hit Kafelnikov’s second serves with precision--and he had trouble holding his serve. His performance was puzzling, given that he has been playing well this year.

“Everyone thought that Andre is on the top of his game, that he would destroy me,” Kafelnikov said. “Even I thought it for a while.”

Agassi’s loss ended his record-tying 16-match Davis Cup winning streak, and it sent him to the locker room to find Courier, whom he presented with this plea: “Remind that kid that he’s 18 still, OK?”

Courier nodded, never expecting how difficult a task it would be. In the end, though, it was the veteran getting mobbed by his excited teammates, and the youngster rubbing his temples in disbelief.

“I may have a couple of knee scrapes from [Gullikson] tackling me but it’s all worth it,” Courier said. “That’s what Davis Cup is all about.”

DAVIS CUP ’98

World Group Bracket

Round 1:

Sweden 3, Slovak Rep. 2

Germany 5, S. Africa 0

Spain 3, Brazil 2

Switz. 3, Czech Rep. 2

Italy 4, India 1

Zimbabwe 3, Australia 2

Belgium 3, Netherlands 2

U.S. 3, Russia 2

*

Round 2, July 17-19

Sweden vs. Germany

Spain vs. Switzerland

Italy vs. Zimbabwe

Belgium vs. United States

*

Semifinals, Sept. 25-27

Final, Dec. 4-6