WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Feb. 2 (UPI) -- The United States can put last year's Federation Cup embarrassment aside since the Williams sisters have come to the rescue.
U.S. Fed Cup captain Billie Jean King on Sunday named Serena and Venus Williams, the world's No. 1 and No. 2 players, to the squad that will take on the Czech Republic in the first round April 26-27, at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell, Mass.
Last year, the Americans were upset by Austria in the first round and Jennifer Capriati, then the top player in the world, was kicked off the team after she broke team rules and had a shouting match with King.
"We have the great fortune of having the best two (woman) players in the world with Serena and Venus," King said. "As they demonstrated with some tremendous wins at the Australian Open, they are both playing top-level tennis."
Serena captured her fourth straight Grand Slam title last month at Melbourne. She beat Venus in the final of the last four majors as the sisters have dominated tennis since last April.
"I'm looking forward to representing my country and am excited to be part of the Fed Cup team again," Serena said. "I've always had a great time playing Fed Cup and enjoying being together with the other U.S. players."
"Having the opportunity to represent your country is such an honor," Venus added. "I'm looking forward to some great competition and hope to bring home a victory for the U.S."
The sisters have not played in the Fed Cup since the 1999 final in Stanford, Calif., as the United States defeated Russia, 4-1. It was only their second participation in the event, after making their debut in the 1999 semifinals against Italy.
By playing Fed Cup in 1999, the sisters were eligible to play in the 2000 Olympics. Venus won the women's singles gold medal at Sydney and teamed with Serena to take top honors in women's doubles.
