Bruce Derlin is just happy that the chance to refurbish New Zealand's somewhat hammered Davis Cup reputation is coming sooner rather than later.
Only a day out from the draw for his team's Asia/Oceania group two final against Korea, Derlin said his team were hell-bent on ending the nightmare of
life on the second tier.
The mission, however, is expected to be no walk in the park.
New Zealand have been weakened by the loss of Auckland teenager and probable No 2 GD Jones, and will be confronted by a Korean side led by world No 105 Hyung-Taik Lee.
They also include 18-year-old Sun-Yong Kim, who reached the semifinals of the junior US Open and was the runner-up at the Australian equivalent in January.
The tie will start with the opening singles at the More FM Tennis Park at Albany on Friday, when Derlin said his side would hope to exploit the serendipitous nature of Davis Cup tennis, and seize any chance that came their way.
"In Davis Cup, you only have to win one key match to prevail and anyone's a chance on the day.
"It's not like a tournament draw [where a freak winner would usually be cleaned up in the next round], it's a competition designed to embrace upsets and one-off performances, and that's all we need this weekend."
He said his players were well aware of New Zealand's proud Davis Cup reputation and would dearly love to restore their country's group one status, as well as create the launching pad for future success.
Derlin pointed at the example of Pakistan, who were now facing a daunting group one final against Chile to qualify for the all-important elite world group.
"Strange things can happen in Davis Cup tennis, so you've just got to try to take every opportunity that comes your way.
"It was pretty rough a year ago when we went down. The players were catching a bit, but I copped most of it, and at times it was difficult to deal with," said Derlin.
"But now we've got this chance to push clear of all the flak and return to group one, and I can tell you that everyone's absolutely jumping out of their skins to play, and will definitely give it their best shot."
New Zealand's hopes will be led by No 1 Mark Nielsen, who will enter the tie with a world ranking of 341 after his US$15,000 Futures event win in Japan last week, and with a 2-2 win-loss record against Lee.
But without Jones, Derlin will be forced to pick his No 2 from Daniel King-Turner, Rubin Statham and Adam Thompson, and he admitted yesterday it was not an easy decision.
"We've got three very capable guys vying for the job, and I'm sure whoever gets the nod will do us proud," he said.
"In some ways I wish we had a couple of guys who were clearly the best because then the selection would be pretty straightforward. But the fact is, we've got three young guys with very little between them."
Line-ups
New Zealand: Mark Nielsen, Daniel King- Turner, Rubin Statham, Adam Thompson.
South Korea: Hyung-Taik Lee, Oh-Hee Kwon, Kyu-Tae Im, Sun-Yong Kim.
New Zealand's hopes will be led by No 1 Mark Nielsen, who will enter the tie with a world ranking of 341 after his win in Japan. Picture / Richard Robinson
Bruce Derlin is just happy that the chance to refurbish New Zealand's somewhat hammered Davis Cup reputation is coming sooner rather than later.
Only a day out from the draw for his team's Asia/Oceania group two final against Korea, Derlin said his team were hell-bent on ending the nightmare of
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