New Zealand made a scratchy start to their Davis Cup tie against Indonesia in Invercargill last night, squaring the opening day singles.
No 1 Mark Nielsen got off to a grim start, losing the first rubber to Peter Handoyo 6-2, 5-7, 4-6. But Alistair Hunt squared the contest by beating Suwandi
in the second match, 4-6 7-5 4-6 6-2 6-2.
Meanwhile, New Zealand's former world top-30 player Brett Steven believes tennis in New Zealand is on the verge of becoming a recreational sport unless immediate changes are made to protect its future.
Steven said he was worried about the future direction of the sport, which is not producing any more world-ranked players.
"We are almost past the point of bringing it back," he said.
"If we don't change policy, we are on the verge of the sport only ever being recreational in this country.
"We might get one player come through despite the system but the juniors have to shift overseas and we can't cater to their needs.
"It's okay if our young players go overseas to improve providing New Zealand Tennis fully assists them with their development."
Steven said he was unsure whether New Zealand Tennis was providing the right pathway for young players, who might not feel an allegiance to return for Davis Cup and Federation Cup matches if they had not been fully supported.
He praised the gutsy efforts of New Zealand's Davis Cup squad under captain Glenn Wilson.
"Our cup team in the last two years with Glenn have outperformed anyone's expectations," he said.
"They have done a terrific job considering a couple of the guys are only part-timers.
"But nothing is being done for the future of New Zealand tennis. Someone has got to take responsibility."
- NZPA
