The Swedes face Israel in Malmo in the first round of the World Group, and authorities decided to play the best-of-five series from Friday through Sunday in a closed arena due to fears of demonstrations and protests against Israel.
Thousands of demonstrators who want to stop the match are expected to gather on Saturday. Organizers said it would be a peaceful protest against Israel's recent three-week offensive against the Gaza Strip, but police have called up 1,000 officers to keep protesters away from the stadium.
Sweden also played without fans in 1975, two years after a military coup led by Augusto Pinochet against the elected Chilean government of Salvador Allende. Sweden played Chile in Bastad that year.
Andy Ram, one of the players embroiled in an international controversy last month over entry into the United Arab Emirates, is in the lineup for Israel.
Top-ranked Rafael Nadal should have plenty of crowd support when he leads defending champion Spain against Serbia in Benidorm. The United States faces a Switzerland team minus injured Roger Federer in Birmingham, Ala.
The Americans will field its usual team of Andy Roddick, James Blake and Mike and Bob Bryan, but the Swiss will be missing 13-time Grand Slam champion Federer, who is out with a bad back.
"We know for Roger it wasn't an easy decision to make, but I think it's very important for his career that he make this decision,'' teammate Stanislas Wawrinka said.
Also in the first round, it's Argentina vs. Netherlands in Buenos Aires; Czech Republic vs. France in Ostrava; Croatia vs. Chile in Porec; Romania vs. Russia in Sibiu; and Germany vs. Austria in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
In Malmo, the decision to play without fans sparked criticism from tennis officials in Sweden and Israel, as well as the International Tennis Federation.
"The security plan already submitted by the Malmo police and the efforts of the two tennis associations would be enough to allow the tie to take place under normal circumstances,'' ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti said last week. "Therefore, we do not agree with the decision by the Malmo authorities to exclude the public and, even at this late date, maintain our request that the decision not to allow spectators be reconsidered.''
On the court, 2002 Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson is likely to return from injury and play for Sweden despite not being on the original nomination list.
"If he doesn't get re-injured, he'll play on Friday,'' assistant coach Joakim Nystrom said Wednesday.
Nadal, who withdrew from the Dubai Tennis Championships because of a right leg injury, is ready to face Serbia.
"Everybody's perfect,'' Spain captain Albert Costa said. "Nadal's 100 percent. Everybody on the team is 100 percent healthy.''
Spain, which beat Argentina in the final last year for its third Davis Cup title in eight years, elected to play the series on clay at the Terra Mitica amusement park in a newly constructed 14,000-capacity outdoor court.
Nadal will be joined by David Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez and Tommy Robredo. Serbia is led by third-ranked Novak Djokovic.
Argentina will be missing David Nalbandian when it faces the Netherlands on outdoor clay. The 14th-ranked Nalbandian withdrew because of a viral infection and was replaced Wednesday by Martin Vassallo Arguello.
