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Jim Courier steps down as U.S. Davis Cup captain

Tennis

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Jim Courier is finished as captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team after eight years in the job.

The U.S. Tennis Association announced Thursday that Courier is "stepping down," less than two weeks after the Americans lost to host Croatia 3-2 in the Davis Cup semifinals.

The United States had a 10-8 record in World Group play since Courier was appointed in October 2010, twice making it as far as the semifinals.

The country's most recent Davis Cup title came in 2007.

Courier was part of Davis Cup-winning teams as a player in 1992 and 1995. He also won four Grand Slam singles titles and reached No. 1 in the rankings.

In 2019, the Davis Cup format will change to a season-ending team event, a makeover that has elicited scrutiny from both players and luminaries of the game.

But Courier said the overhaul did not factor into the decision.

"I made the decision in late 2017, long before [the format change] was a certainty," Courier wrote in an email to ESPN's Peter Bodo. "Eight years is a good long run, and it is time for new leadership for the team.

"With the new format change now crystallizing, it should work well for a new captain to have ample time to prepare for the finals in Madrid and plan accordingly."

The Associated Press was included in this report.

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