Tennis: Underdogs need to punch above their weight

He might be carrying the weight of New Zealand Davis Cup tennis on his shoulders these days, but New Zealand No 1 Mark Nielsen isn't even close to showing it.

The main hope in New Zealand's Asia/Oceania Group 2 final against Korea, starting tomorrow, Nielsen probably needs to win both his singles and doubles matches if his side is to escape the ignominy of third division competition.

New Zealand will start the tie as the clear underdog and will need to punch above their weight to prevail, especially after the enforced withdrawal of probable No 2 G.D. Jones through injury.

But Nielsen, who turns 28 next month, says he won't allow himself to be distracted by favouritism or rankings, and is unfazed by the significance of New Zealand's chance to restore their Davis Cup fortunes.

"It's a huge tie for New Zealand and an enormous challenge against Korea, who have a decent side and represent a top-quality challenge - but I'm confident we'll give a good account of ourselves.

"There's a lot of pressure on us after being relegated a year ago, but professional tennis is all about handling pressure and this is simply another opportunity for the team. Whoever you play in Davis Cup, there's always a lot riding on it."

And Nielsen should know what he's saying.

One of only seven New Zealanders to have posted 20 or more Davis Cup wins (including singles and doubles), his 21-16 win-loss record ranks him behind Onny Parun (30-32), Brett Steven (28-21), Kelly Evernden (27-27), Chris Lewis (24-18) and Russell Simpson (22-18) and ahead of Brian Fairlie (20-28).

Nielsen's Davis Cup experience dates back to a highly successful debut against Indonesia in 1997, and he says the lessons learned since then have underlined the need to concentrate on one's own game and give 100 per cent effort.

"You can only try as hard as possible; if you do that and don't get the right result, there's no point in beating yourself up," he said.

"I try to work on my own game. I've seen all the opposition players and know what they're capable of, but as a rule I don't tend not to spend much time on worrying about them.

"The good thing is that I'm feeling confident, as I've been playing a lot, have been hitting the ball well, and I know that I've got some decent form behind me."

After practice at the More FM Tennis Park in Albany, Nielsen felt encouraged by his solid run of form and was keen to maintain the rhythm.

DAVIS CUP

Asia/Oceania Group 2 final
NZ v Korea

Oteha Valley Rd, Albany

Singles: Tomorrow
Doubles: Saturday
Reverse singles: Sunday