U.S. Fed Cup captain Billie Jean King has brought out big guns Serena and Venus Williams for this weekend's tie against the Czech Republic to ensure her team do not suffer another first-round upset.
Last year, the U.S. was shocked at home in Charlotte, North Carolina, by a Barbara Schwartz-led Austrian team. In that tie, King kicked her top player, Jennifer Capriati, off the team, which resulted in the forfeit of their first match.
After Schwartz upset Monica Seles, King had to substitute Meghann Shaughnessy in the third match and Schwartz defeated Shaughnessy 9-7 in the third set, clinching the tie for Austria over a nation that has won the Fed Cup a record 17 times.
"We're very pumped up this year," King told Reuters. "After what happened last year, we are very determined to bring the Fed Cup back home. After Charlotte, the players really bonded together in their goals and commitments."
After winning the 2000 Fed Cup in Las Vegas over Spain, the U.S. opted out of playing the 2001 final in Madrid due to post September 11 security concerns. Belgium won the title.
King expected to raise the Fed Cup again last year until chaos reigned in Charlotte and Slovakia ended up winning the title.
MOTIVATIONAL FACTOR
"I will always be sad about it," King said. "But you can either see it as a disaster or a new opportunity.
"It's a motivational factor for all of us. Every single player has come up to me and said: 'We've got to bring back the Cup, this is ridiculous and let's just make it happen'."
With some of the top-ranked players in the world such as Serena (1st), Venus (3rd) Shaughnessy (19th) and Alexandra Stevenson (26th), the U.S. are heavily favoured over a young Czech team headed by Daja Bedanova (44th), Iveta Benesova (71st), Klara Koukalova (73rd) Eva Birnerova (163rd).
"We have the best players in the world and we expect to win, but we can't afford to look ahead," said King, who has led her team to three titles in the last eight years.
"They (the U.S. players) are very motivated to make sure what happened against Austria doesn't happen again. But I'd never had a fully healthy team.
"In team play, the human element is so strong, the heart and soul. You never know what can happen -- especially in Fed Cup, when players are representing their countries," added King. "Bedanova could pull a Barbara Schwartz."
GRAND SLAMS
The Williams sisters have not played a Fed Cup tie since the 1999 final, when with Lindsay Davenport they led the U.S. to the title over Russia.
Since then Venus and Serena have each won four Grand Slam singles titles. Indeed, the two most powerful players in the world have won six out of the last seven singles Grand Slams.
This weekend, the 2000 Olympic gold medallist doubles team do not want to spend a minute off the court.
"Venus and Serena want to play everything," King said. "They are like let's go, let's rock, let's go do it."
King and her coaching staff have spent a fair amount of time working with former world number one Venus, who has lost to her sister in the last four Grand Slam finals and last month was stunned by Shaughnessy in the fourth round of the Nasdaq-100 Open in Miami.
"We're working on helping Venus play with high intensity all the time, getting her forehand more consistent and fixing technical problems in her serve," King said.
Even if the Williamses lead the U.S. to victory over the Czechs at the Tsongas Arena in the April 26-27 tie, there is no guarantee they will play in July against either Italy or Sweden or, should the U.S. get there, in November's final, King said.
"I don't know if they will. I haven't talked to them about it yet. I'd like all our players to commit for the whole year, but that's not how it works in the real world."