Twenty-seven years ago in the north-east United States, a prominent international sporting competition served as a battleground between two feuding nations. The scene was Lake Placid, New York, the event was the XIII Winter Olympic Games, the sport was ice hockey. With a squad that consisted largely of amateur and collegiate players, the host Americans were severe underdogs against the world-renowned Soviet Union, who featured a cadre of international stars.

Much has changed in the world since the “Miracle on Ice” of 1980, where the United States pulled off a colossal upset against their sporting and political adversaries. The USSR no longer exists, the Cold War has come to an end, and in these days of heavy corporate commitment, a tiny village like Lake Placid would almost certainly never qualify to host a Olympic Games.

This weekend, the United States will again host the Russians up in the north-east, but under entirely different circumstances. One of the two Fed Cup semi-finals will take place in Stowe, Vermont, and will feature plenty of solid hitting – but without the body checks into the boards. The event is still a team competition, but almost exclusively individual performances will determine the outcome.

'The event is still a team competition, but almost exclusively individual performances will determine the outcome'

There will be only one net instead of two, and it will be in the middle of the playing surface, with tennis being the sport of choice. And thankfully, political diversions will be non-existent, unless you see Russian captain Shamil Tarpischchev’s visa issues as a prelude to the reversal of perestroika.

There is one similarity, however, which is that little-known stars for each team will have to play big roles. But wasn’t this Fed Cup tie supposed to be a battle of the titans? In the blue corner, we had the Williams sisters and in the red corner, Maria Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetsova, et al? It was indeed, but now – just like at Wimbledon – only Venus remains. Sharapova pulled out on Monday, and Serena and Svetlana’s withdrawals have been recently reported.

There is still a contingent of players who have sufficient experience on an international stage, including Lisa Raymond (21 Fed Cup rubbers) and Nadia Petrova (10 Fed Cup rubbers). But consider the additional responsibility they will have based on the recent defections. Raymond is a doubles specialist, her singles record in the competition is three wins and six losses. Much the same can be said for Petrova, who is a much bigger threat when playing in a partnership; she is undefeated with a 5-0 Fed Cup record in doubles.