NEW YORK, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- Jim Courier, a tennis hall of fame member who helped the United States to two Davis Cup titles, was named the U.S. team captain for the 2011 Davis Cup.
Courier, 40, replaces Patrick McEnroe, who is leaving the captaincy after 10 years. His last Davis Cup series was a 3-1 win over Colombia that put the United States into next year's World Group.
Courier will have his first matches in Chile in March.
"Jim's Davis Cup experience and wealth of knowledge as a former Grand Slam champion stood out," USTA Chief Professional Tournaments Officer Jim Curley said Wednesday. "He is the ideal candidate to replace Patrick, the longest-tenured captain in U.S. Davis Cup history."
As a player Courier was ranked No. 1 for 58 weeks in 1992-93 and won the French Open and Australian Open twice each. He was 16-10 in singles and 1-0 in doubles in Davis Cup competition. He was part of the U.S. teams that won the cup in 1992 and 1995 and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005.
The Americans own a record 32 Davis Cup titles since the international team competition began in 1900, but only one since 1995. That was in 2007 when McEnroe led the team to the championship.
