Tennis: Doubles combination key to Davis Cup tie, says Derlin

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Selecting the right combination for what promises to be the all-important doubles match looms as the biggest challenge for non-playing New Zealand Davis Cup captain Bruce Derlin.

Derlin and three of his four players got together at the ASB Bank Tennis Centre for the first time yesterday to begin preparations for this month's tough Davis Cup tie against Pakistan in Islamabad.

Simon Rea, William Ward and Lee Radovanovich, who had a brief hitout yesterday, and Derlin will be joined on today's flight to Sydney by Mark Nielsen, who arrived back from Japan last night.

"The doubles will be very important," said Derlin. "The beauty of my team is that we can go with any combination. They are all capable of playing doubles."

With two left-handers, Ward and Rea, Derlin has some options. He could go for a left-right combination or use the two left-handers which, he says many doubles pairings find difficult to handle.

"All four players are capable of playing doubles," said Derlin. "We see it as perhaps being the deciding match of the tie."

Derlin said Nielsen would take one of the singles spots, playing at No 1. The choice of his back-up would come after some intense practice on a clay court in Sydney this week and in the four days the team will have in Pakistan before the tie.

Derlin is quick to dismiss any suggestion of a comfortable win in Islamabad.

"Forget the 5-0 win over them in Hamilton last year. Their top player, Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, is now up to 200 in the world. None of our team is even close to that."

Derlin remains mindful of security concerns in Pakistan but is determined they should be dealt with and put in the background.

"I never wanted to go to Pakistan as a player," he said. "But in those days it had nothing to do with terrorism - it was more concerns over health issues.

"We have taken advice from the Government and have done sensible things like checking out of the Marriott hotel and gone away from other American chains. We won't be going to McDonald's or Starbucks.

"Islamabad is seen as a lower security risk. As far as the troublespots are concerned, it's like us playing in Whangarei and the problems being in Invercargill."

The players are looking forward to getting on court.

Rea, who has just turned 22, and missed the tie with Indonesia in April because of "issues" with his American university, said he had "other options" at this time but chose to play the Davis Cup.

"It [Davis Cup] is always going to be a priority for me," said Rea.

Ward, 18, was back on court yesterday less than four hours after returning from the United States, where he had mixed results in the US Open juniors.

"In the first round I beat the guy [6-3, 6-3] who was a finalist in the Canadian tournament I had played where I was forced out in the second round after leading 6-2, 4-1.

"In the second I won 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 but then I went out in the third 2-6, 1-6 to Andrew Murray, who went on to win the title," said Ward. "I did not play very well. I gave him too much respect."