KEY POINTS:
Whether Mark Nielsen gets any Davis Cup action this weekend is of little consequence as New Zealand anticipates setting their best prepared tennis team in recent years on Kuwait.
New Zealand's non-playing captain James Greenhalgh and team manager Alastair Hunt were to name their team overnight when the draw for the Asia-Oceania group two, second round tie is made in Meshref.
Hunt said he was quietly confident and it didn't matter at this stage which combination they opted for because the players were hitting their best form.
While Nielsen, who replaced Matt Simpson from the quartet that beat Oman 5-0 in the first round, brought experience to the team, he lacked the regular hard match-play that other team members Dan King-Turner, GD Jones and Rubin Statham had been involved in.
"Everything's good right up until now," Hunt said. "We've got a fit team, no injuries and the guys have been playing hard matches - third and fourth rounds and playoffs in tournaments right up until now."
Hunt's confidence came from the fact that King-Turner and Jones played in two Futures singles and doubles tournaments over the past two weekends.
King-Turner won one singles tournament and reached the final of the other while the pair took the title in one doubles tournament and reached the final of the other.
Kuwait beat Pacific Oceania 4-1 in the first round.
- NZPA
