KEY POINTS:
Mark Nielsen is not guaranteed court time despite being rushed back into the New Zealand Davis Cup tennis team to play Kuwait next month.
Non-playing captain James Greenhalgh will need to be convinced that Nielsen is fully match fit before committing him to the Asia-Oceania group two second round tie in Kuwait on April 11-13.
Greenhalgh hesitated only briefly before selecting Nielsen, 30, in place of Matt Simpson, once his two-year drugs suspension expired this month.
Nielsen was banned by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in 2006 after testing positive for masking agent Finasteride, which he said he used for three years in a prescription hair loss product.
He did not appeal against the decision because of the prohibitive costs.
Finasteride can be used as a masking agent for steroids. It is commonly found in hair-restoration products and has led to a spate of doping cases.
Greenhalgh said Nielsen now had to prove his match fitness.
His base fitness levels were good despite two years out of the sport and he was now in Japan to play two ITF Futures tournaments
"Given his track record, his experience and his current fitness levels we decided he would be a beneficial addition to our team," Greenhalgh told NZPA.
"Mark has been training and practising and his fitness levels are good.
"He needs to get in as many matches as he can heading into the tie. He's committed to going out and playing, and we're very happy to have him in the team.
"I an just excited that he's interested in playing again. As he continues to get more and more matches in he'll be more and more valuable to the side."
Nielsen will offer Greenhalgh plenty of experience.
He turned professional at 17 and reached a career-best ranking of 172nd in the world. At the time of his ban he was ranked 329th.
Nielsen has played 19 Davis Cup ties for his country, and has a singles record of six wins and 18 losses.
"He's got a great track record in Davis Cup and he's very excited to be part of it again," Greenhalgh said.
"Statistically he's one of our more successful players and he brings to the side a huge amount of experience. We're lucky to have him."
Greenhalgh said Nielsen needed to show good form in the next fortnight in Japan to push his case to play against Kuwait in a team featuring Dan King-Turner, GD Jones and Rubin Statham.
"He needs to perform in the next fortnight in Japan and get a lot of matches under his belt. Also, I want to see him play well in the practise week before the tie."
Nielsen spent the duration of his ban making a living as a coach in Auckland.
Mindful that the ban was to expire this month, Greenhalgh invited him to hit balls with the Davis Cup squad since January.
New Zealand beat Oman 5-0 in the first round last month. Victory over Kuwait would see them go on to play the group final at home in September against China or Indonesia.
- NZPA
