Slovak Republic Up Next for U.S.

The whims of the Davis Cup draw held potential traps for the United States: Lose a coin flip and head to Morocco in February or get an unlucky draw and land a first-round match against Argentina.

The U.S. dodged both scenarios when the World Group draw for 2002 was held Thursday in Zurich, Switzerland. It will play the Slovak Republic, Feb. 8-10, at a site to be determined. Captain Patrick McEnroe and other U.S. Tennis Assn. officials indicated the first-round match could be on the West Coast. McEnroe said he would prefer to play outdoors on a slow hard-court surface.

“Certainly the desert, whether it be Arizona or California, or even Hawaii could be a possibility,” he said. “Those are the places that immediately come to mind weather-wise.”

Officials at Indian Wells have had discussions with the USTA. However, there is a concern the match may be too close to the Tennis Masters Series March 4-17. La Costa in Carlsbad has held previous Davis Cup matches.

The USTA has until Dec. 3 to decide.

This will be the first meeting between the countries. Playing for the Slovak Republic is No. 26-ranked Dominik Hrbaty and Karol Kucera, a former top-10 player who has been beset by injuries.

McEnroe said he would speak to Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi about playing again, but did not sound optimistic.

“I think we have a good thing going with the young guys,” he said. “If they decide they want to be a part of what we are trying to build here for the future, great. These are two of the greats of all time. So I would be an idiot not to listen to them if they express interest in playing. I’m certainly not holding out [hope].”