Jim Courier was named the new U.S. Davis Cup captain by the United States Tennis Association on October 27. At age 40, Courier is the 40th man to serve as captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team, 11 years after ending an illustrious Davis Cup career that saw him help the United States to Davis Cup titles in 1992 and 1995. He played Davis Cup for the U.S. for seven years (1991-1992, 1994-1995, 1997-1999), posting a 17-10 record (16-10 in singles, 1-0 in doubles).
The two-time French and Australian Open champion and Hall of Famer was part of the famous “Dream Team” of himself, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and John McEnroe that beat Switzerland 3-1 in the 1992 Davis Cup Final in Ft. Worth, Texas. It was 18 years ago today, December 6, where Courier clinched victory for the USA in this famous final, as outlined below in the book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.TennisHistoryBook.com) by Randy Walker.
1992 – Jim Courier, the No. 1 player in the world, clinches the 30th Davis Cup title for the United States defeating Jakob Hlasek 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to give the United States a 3-1 victory over Switzerland in the Davis Cup Final in Ft. Worth, Texas. Says Courier following the title-clinching win, “There is certainly nothing like winning for a team. It’s not something we get to do too often as tennis players. Hopefully we’ll win this thing for the next eight or nine years.” Adds U.S. DavisCup Captain Tom Gorman of his team’s performance, “They felt very proud to be in the final and they were going to make sure they did themselves proud. They had their entire country behind them.” Following his victory Courier is carried off the court by his teammates John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and team support staff. All four players then take victory laps around the court waving the American flag.