KEY POINTS:
Heads won't be rolling in the wake of New Zealand's surprise 3-2 Davis Cup loss to China, according to tennis boss Steve Walker.
New Zealand were 2-0 up in the Asia-Oceania Group Two final in New Plymouth before losing the doubles to the higher-ranked Chinese combination, then dropping both reverse singles in a Sunday shocker which has cost them the chance of rubbing shoulders with old foes Australia in group one next year.
New Zealand's highest-ranked player, Dan King-Turner, at No 413, was dumped in straight sets by Yan Bai (No 492) before GD Jones - standing in for the injured first-day winner Rubin Statham - lost a topsy-turvy five-setter, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to Peng Sun. It was the first time in six Davis Cup clashes with China that New Zealand had been beaten.
"There is an overwhelming sense of lost opportunity," Tennis New Zealand chief executive Walker said yesterday. "However in the fullness of time when we look back we'll say 2008 was a step in the right direction for our cup programme."
Walker argued that the New Zealand team are significantly better players than when they were beaten by the Philippines in their group two semifinal at Parnell last year.
"Our team has improved greatly, simple as that. Improved in performances, attitude and overall level of professionalism."
Walker said there was no chance of coach James Greenhalgh coming under the hammer when Tennis New Zealand does its review of the cup campaign.
"He won't be in the firing line, I can assure you of that," Walker said. "It's not as if we're thinking heads have to roll.
"James has done what he can, he's working more with the players than ever and he's got a good rapport with players, administrators and organisations, so the finger won't be pointed at him."
Walker insisted he wasn't making excuses for what was a great opportunity squandered, from 2-0 up.
"We feel a sense of disappointment," he said.
"As players and people they are developing and we're pleased with a lot of things. We need to be strong, keep the faith and start planning for 2009."
Statham is expected to need surgery on his left thumb, which suffered tendon damage on the third-last point of his singles win, when he put the hand down to break his fall after lunging for a volley.
Team manager Alastair Hunt is off to the United States next week for four weeks working one-on-one with King-Turner, an example of beefing up the player support Walker believes will be the focal point of the review.
Adding support and more opportunities for the players will be a key element of the review "so what we expect of them we can match in terms of what we provide for them".
The draw for next year's group two competition will be out in the next couple of weeks.
Australia's hopes of promotion to the world group were dashed over the weekend by a 3-2 loss to Chile in Antofagasta at the weekend.
New Zealand's first tie next year will be in February.
* Spain and Argentina will clash in the Davis Cup final in Argentina on November 21-23.
Spain thumped the United States 4-1 in Madrid, the tie being decided in the first reverse singles yesterday when world No 1 Rafael Nadal thumped Andy Roddick 6-4, 6-0, 6-4.
Argentina beat Russia 3-2 in the other semifinal, the tie being decided in the fifth rubber, when Juan Martin del Potro beat Igor Andreev 6-4, 6-2, 6-1.
