It seems everyone is pleased New Zealand rookie Simon Rea is playing the opening singles of the Davis Cup tie against India in Invercargill today.
The Indians were thrilled their No 1, Harsh Mankad, was drawn to play Rea. India's captain and No 2 singles player, Leander Paes, thinks Mankad's greaterexperience could be a telling factor against new-cap Rea. The tie will be Mankad's ninth since his 2001 debut.
"Simon Rea will feel a bit nervous playing the first match for his country," Paes said.
"Harsh is a bit of a veteran in this arena and he is certainly used to all the pressure that Davis Cup brings out.
"I think that the way the draw has panned out is favourable to us."
Enter Rea, 21 and a left-hander whose place in the team was confirmed when his main opposition, Daniel King-Turner, ruled himself out of the tie by spraining an ankle.
The injury was only made public at the official draw yesterday.
Rea would have made his New Zealand debut last year in the home tie against Pakistan, but could not get a release from the University of Tennessee.
Now he is set for his debut and is thankful he will open New Zealand's charge, with Mark Nielsen playing Paes in the second singles.
"It's probably a bit easier to play first, as long as you can get the nerves out of the way," Rea said. "For Mark, he's got to spend a few hours in the locker room wondering when he's going play.
"It could be a 1 1/2-hour match or a five-hour match. At least when you're playing first you know what time you step on court and you can prepare accordingly."
Getting his preparation right is important for Rea, who thinks he has rediscovered his best form after poor displays at the New Zealand Residential championships before Christmas and then the Heineken Open in Auckland last month.
Top seed and two-time champion Rea was beaten in the semifinals of the Residential championships by James Shortall and then lost to a Croatian qualifier in the first round of the Heineken Open.
A college win over a top player from Virginia last weekend has boosted his confidence.
Rea and Nielsen will also link up in tomorrow's doubles, reuniting a partnership which reached the quarter-finals of the Heineken Open.
