McEnroe in shock comeback

McEnroe when he was last in action

John McEnroe is set to make a surprise tennis comeback for America in the Davis Cup.

McEnroe has named himself as one of the four players in the US team to face Spain after Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras and semi-finalist Andre Agassi pulled out through injury.

Agassi suffered back injuries in a car accident in Las Vegas on Sunday and has been advised not play.

Sampras won his seventh Wimbledon title and record 13th Grand Slam title on Sunday but has been suffering from tendonitis in his left shin. He has been ordered by a doctor to take at least two weeks off.

This leaves Todd Martin, Jan-Michael Gambill, Chris Woodruff and McEnroe.

Sampras is ruled out with tendonitis

McEnroe, the US Davis Cup captain, said that his inclusion in the team was a "stop-gap solution at the moment."

He said he would be contacting others to take his spot but would possibly compete in the doubles if he has to.

The 41-year-old, who retired in 1991, said: "I haven't actually decided to compete.

"There is a good chance I won't play, but there is a chance I will play.

"And if I take the court, I'm not going out there to lose.

"Until yesterday, it wasn't even something I was thinking about."

McEnroe has a phenomenal Davis Cup record.

Underdogs

He has a 59-10 record in 30 ties over 12 years and played on Cup-winning teams in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1992.

He holds American Davis Cup records for wins, ties played, years played and singles wins (41).

It will be difficult to beat the Spaniards on clay - who have Alex Corretja, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Albert Costa and Juan Balcells in their team.

McEnroe said: "They've (Spain) got three of the top 10 players in the world on clay.

"Now we're going to be huge underdogs."

The tie will be held in Santander, Spain, between 21-23 July.