James Shortall cannot guarantee he will be available for future Davis Cup ties because of a festering pay dispute.
He made himself unavailable for the home tie against Indonesia last month because of the dispute with New Zealand Tennis.
Relations appeared to have thawed when he was selected to play against India next month in Wellington, but Shortall said the wrangle was not over yet.
"Not a lot has changed since the last tie," he said. "If the deadlock stands for the next few months, both parties are going to be in a losing position."
Shortall, of Manawatu, said he had agreed to play this time only because the tie was in Wellington. "It's pretty exciting for me. Wellington is a home-away-from-home and I'm looking forward to it."
Shortall, who would not go into details on the pay issue, said it was an agonising decision to sit out the last tie. "It was a difficult situation for me because I wanted to represent my country, but it's something I felt was necessary and it needed to happen."
United States-based Simon Rea took the court instead, but could not play against India because of college commitments.
New Zealand Tennis chief executive Pat O'Rourke said his organisation would review its Davis Cup player schedule next month.
Shortall said he did not want to be remembered as a player who turned out for purely financial reasons. "But it's pretty rough when you are in a position to play for New Zealand and looking at the possibility of taking up a day job instead."
- NZPA
Tennis: Shortall yet to settle pay dispute
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.