It's as elite a group as there is in the world of sports. In 100-plus years of Davis Cup play, only 130 men have represented the United States. Two live in the Houston area.

Sam Giammalva and Sherwood Stewart were at Westside Tennis Club this weekend, no doubt enjoying the play while reminiscing about their opportunity to play for the red, white and blue.

"Oh God, yeah, it was a big deal," said Giammalva, who was 21 when he first played in 1956. "It was such an honor to represent your country. There's nothing like it in my mind. Instead of saying, `Advantage, Giammalva' they say, `Advantage, United States.' That was really a thrill."

Stewart, who first played for the United States in 1977, said the honor was the same when he was asked to play two decades after Giammalva.

"It's really hard to explain (the significance of playing) and I don't know if it means as much now as it did back then to the guys," Stewart said. "Before, when somebody asked you to play for your country, there was never any hesitation. You always did it. That doesn't seem to be the case now because it doesn't fit in their schedules, or whatever."

Giammalva, the legendary Rice coach, participated in seven ties between 1956 and 1958, going 4-1 in singles and 3-2 in doubles. In 1956, Giammalva and Vic Seixas clinched the semifinal tie against India with their doubles victory.

Then in Giammalva's lone Challenge Round tie, Australia won 5-0 at Adelaide in front of 18,000 fans. Giammalva and Seixas lost 1-6, 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 to Lewis Hoad and Ken Rosewall in doubles. In reverse singles, Giammalva lost to Rosewall 4-6, 6-1, 8-6, 7-5.

"Hoad and Rosewall were the best players in the world at that time," Giammalva said. "I was just an up-and-coming American and I got thrown into it, and I played out of my mind. Those guys had world experience and I was in college (University of Texas) at the time, and I just laid out a semester (to play).

"That was the highlight of my career."

Although the tie was decided by the time Giammalva and Rosewall played singles, it didn't lessen the intensity.

"I had all that adrenaline going and I played really great," Giammalva said. "I was leading 5-1 in the fourth set, but all the nerves and adrenaline wore me out and I could barely lift my arms up because I was so tired.

"After it was all over with, we were all asked to get up and make a speech and I said something like, `I've been all around Australia and it's a wonderful place. It's almost as big as Texas,' and that brought the house down."

In 1958, the year the United States reclaimed the Cup from Australia for the first time since 1954, Giammalva played the second round and quarterfinals before having to bow out of competition.

"I had to turn pro after my baby boy (Tony) got sick," Giammalva said. "I didn't have any choice."

Giammalva played his ties in North America or Australia; Stewart played in Venezuela and Argentina. As a reference, Spanish players and coaches laughed when told the Americans thought their crowd was raucous during their tie in Santander, Spain, two years ago.

Go to South America, they said. There you'll see raucous. Stewart agreed.

"You were playing under some unbelievable situations," Stewart said. "Spain's nothing like that. Not that they were unruly, but they were very boistrous. They never did it during the point, but after the point ... a lot of things went on. I heard stories about Davis Cup matches and blatant cheating and players putting pressure on the linesmen from their countries to make make bad calls in their favor.

"Things like that used to be part of the forklore of Davis Cup."

Being back home in 1978 for a tie wasn't any cakewalk, either, as the United States hosted South Africa in Nashville. There were almost 2,000 people outside the site protesting apartheid, and at one point there were more protesters than fans because many people were afraid to attend.

"Somebody threw something on the court and we didn't know if it was a bomb or what, and it turned out to be manure," Stewart said. "There were some pretty hairy times as far as safety was concerned, which I'm sure there are when they go some places today."

Stewart, who played his last tie in 1981, is one one of 12 former tour players -- including Rosewall, Roy Emerson and Cliff Drysdale -- who are part-owners of Grand Slam Sports. The former pros attend corporate outings and provide entertainment, whether on the tennis court or golf course.

"It's not a bad gig at all," Stewart said.