Dukes Seeking McEnroe’s Edge : TeamTennis: Owner says he will make former Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion an offer to play in Newport Beach.

Unhappy with the results on the court but satisfied his team is headed in the right direction, Newport Beach Dukes owner Fred Lieberman said Wednesday he will make John McEnroe an offer to play TeamTennis in Orange County next summer.

“If we do a deal with McEnroe, then we’ll build a 4,000-seat stadium and sell it out every night,” Lieberman said from his office in New York.

With the exception of U.S. Davis Cup doubles standout Rick Leach, who was a mid-season replacement for an injured player, the Dukes’ roster has been filled by relative unknowns the first two seasons.

The Dukes were not alone. The sport’s big names have generally avoided playing TeamTennis the past few seasons, which was fine with the monthlong, no-frills league.

But this season, the new Atlanta franchise signed Martina Navratilova and the Los Angeles Strings signed Jimmy Connors. Each player had a big impact on their teams. Tonight, Atlanta plays host to Charlotte in the East Division championship and the Strings play at San Antonio for the West Division championship.

Three days after the Dukes were knocked out of the playoffs by the Charlotte Heat, Lieberman said he was still disappointed with the team’s 6-8 record. Needing to win two of their final three matches, the Dukes defeated previously unbeaten San Antonio last Thursday, lost to Atlanta Saturday and Charlotte Sunday.

Lieberman hopes McEnroe will push the Dukes into the playoffs for the first time.

“I would have been 100% satisfied if we had won Sunday, even if we had lost to the Strings (in the first round of the playoffs Tuesday),” Lieberman said. “Having beaten San Antonio earlier, we shouldn’t have lost to a team with a less than .500 record (Charlotte). If we had made the playoffs, we would have not only been successful with promotions and our sponsors, but I would have been happy with our record.”

According to Lieberman, the Dukes led the league with 48 corporate sponsors, which helped him turn a profit of more than $31,000. How much more, he couldn’t say because he didn’t have the exact figures as of Wednesday. He hopes to know by next week.

He said the many empty seats at the John Wayne Tennis Club, the Dukes’ home court, this season did not trouble him greatly. Only once, when the Dukes drew 2,650 to see Connors and the Strings, was the 1,500-seat stadium sold out.

“When you have to promote the Miami Breakers, you’re really asking a lot,” he said of the Dukes’ match that drew about 400 fans three nights after the Strings’ match. “I’d rather see the place full than half empty. . . . but I wasn’t unhappy with our attendance.

“I believe--because we had some good matches--that it’s caught on. Why in the world would I not want to come back? . . . We’ll be back bigger and better than ever.”

There are rumors that TeamTennis will move its traditional mid-July to mid-August schedule to September for the 1992 season and that the league will expand from 11 to 16 teams. Lieberman said he likes both ideas.

For now, though, he is determined to see McEnroe in a Dukes uniform next season.

“As a businessman, the fastest way to give the fans more entertainment is to sign McEnroe,” he said.