New Zealand tennis captain Artem Sitak bringing crowd into Davis Cup match

New Zealand tennis team captain Artem Sitak says home advantage "can definitely make an impact and I encourage it".

New Zealand tennis captain Artem Sitak is imploring the sellout home crowd to get behind their team for the Davis Cup Group II tie against Luxembourg in Palmerston North this weekend.

Sitak knows full well the impact of a home court advantage. It can lift players. In tight matches, that support could make all the difference.

“That’s what we need. And cheering only for us. It can definitely make an impact and I encourage it,” he said.

Tennis NZ commercial and marketing manager Gareth Archer said it would be one of the biggest crowds for a Davis Cup tie in New Zealand for years.

It’s the first Davis Cup tie and biggest tennis event to be held in the city. Interest from tennis fans in the region has seen tickets sell out this week for both the public area and corporate tables beside the court.

Corporate courtside tables have sold out at the Palmerston North arena for the Davis Cup match between New Zealand and Luxembourg.

The 38-year-old Sitak said playing in front of a packed home crowd at Fly Palmy Arena was an asset and should be looked on as such. Normal tennis etiquette applies, although he knows players can feed off a crowd that’s willing them on.

The Davis Cup has always been special for Sitak and he says it’s an honour for him to become captain so soon after moving into coaching.

He retired as a player after this year’s ASB Classic and was a stalwart of the New Zealand team throughout his career, making his debut against Uzbekistan in 2011 and playing for the final time against Thailand last September.

“Even when I was playing, I felt like I really wanted to become the Davis Cup captain. So when I decided to retire from tennis, it was in my plans,” he said.

“I hoped that one day I would become Davis Cup captain and I hoped I’d be good enough for that. The fact that I could get it six months after I retired is amazing.

“I feel so proud, honoured and I feel a huge responsibility towards tennis in New Zealand and the Davis Cup squad.”

Sitak, who took over from Kelly Evernden this season, has selected debutant Jack Loutit in a five-man New Zealand team, along with KP Pannu, Ajeet Rai, Rubin Statham and Finn Reynolds, to face Luxembourg.

New Zealand's Jack Loutit in action at the ASB Classic tennis tournament in Auckland earlier this year. Photo / Photosport

It’s a big occasion for the 20-year-old Loutit, who plays collegiate tennis at the University of Kentucky.

“Being at the University of Kentucky has definitely prepared me well for whatever is to come, especially with the Davis Cup,” he said.

“You really learn how to bond with your teammates, just learning that everything is about the team, and you’ve got to put the team first before yourself.”

Sitak said he had been following Loutit’s progress and was impressed by what he’d seen.

“He was with the team when we played Bulgaria in Christchurch and I saw him play there and thought he was good.

“Then I saw him in Auckland this year at the ASB Classic in qualifying and we hit a few times before that. His improvement was drastic, his shots had got really big and he’d got stronger. I know right now he’s at college and he’s with a good coach, so that will help him a lot.”

Palmerston North joins 24 venues around the world in hosting Davis Cup tennis matches this weekend involving players from 48 different countries, from Bolivia to Barbados, Serbia to Switzerland.

Both New Zealand and Luxembourg teams arrived in the city on Monday and began training on a striking court purposely painted black.

Luxembourg tennis player Chris Rodesch gets some pratice at Fly Palmy Arena ahead of the Davis Cup match against new Zealand.

Luxembourg captain Gilles Muller did his best to play down New Zealand’s home advantage, offering up some praise.

“I’m not worried about the crowd. I’ve always felt the New Zealand crowd to be a nice crowd, obviously they get behind their team, but respectful of our players also.”

Luxembourg tennis captain Gilles Muller ahead of the match against New Zealand in Palmerston North.

Luxembourg has a population of 653,103. Its largest has 76,684 people so its players should be right at home in Palmerston North (pop. 91,800).

Palmerston North Mayor Grant Smith said hosting the Davis Cup tennis match was a real coup for the city, which is also hosting a national hockey tournament, the Daybreaker Rally and a military tattoo at nearby Feilding this weekend.

“There was tough competition for us to bring the Davis Cup to the city, and we’re thrilled we became the successful host. To have some of the best tennis players in New Zealand playing right here is great for our residents to go and watch, and to inspire young children to pick up a racket and give tennis a go this summer,” he said.

“Our Central Energy Trust Arena is host to the tie and this event is yet another demonstration that our council-owned facility is punching above its weight as a regional stadium bringing major events into our region.”

Luxembourg tennis player Chris Rodesch.

Ties will be played as best-of-five matches, with two singles matches on day one, followed by the doubles match and the two reverse singles matches on day two. All matches are played as best-of-three tiebreak sets.

New Zealand: Kiranpal Pannu, Ajeet Rai, Rubin Statham, Jack Loutit, Finn Reynolds. Captain: Artem Sitak.

Luxembourg: Chris Rodesch, Alex Knaff, Aaron Gil Garcia, Raphael Calzi, Gilles Kremer. Captain: Gilles Muller.