Daniell in, Venus out for cup tie
Marcus Daniell is back in New Zealand’s Davis Cup team for next month’s clash with Turkey, but Michael Venus has again decided to skip the tie.
New Zealand play Turkey in the World Group I playoffs at the ASB Tennis Arena in Auckland on February 2-3, a showdown that will be shown exclusively on Stuff.
Captain Kelly Evernden has selected Rubin Statham, Ajeet Rai, Daniell, KP Pannu and Finn Reynolds for the team and it’s expected that Daniell will partner Reynolds in the doubles rubber.
Statham will play No 1 in the singles and it’s likely Rai will play No 2, although Pannu’s strong performance in his 6-4 6-4 loss to Max Purcell at last week’s ASB Classic may help his cause.
If Turkey pick their strongest team it will be a tough challenge, as there are four Turkish players ranked inside the world’s top 340, while New Zealand’s top-ranked player is Statham at No 505.
“I’m looking forward to it. I think it’s a winnable tie too,” Daniell said. “I’ve been at the last couple of ties, but not part of the team, so I’ve missed it and for me, playing for New Zealand is the special thing I can do.
“They are my coolest memories and hopefully I can play a couple of ties this year.”
Venus, who also missed last year’s 3-1 win over Thailand in Invercargill, has decided to return to his home in London after the Australian Open for family commitments.
If New Zealand win, the team would advance to a World Group I tie in September, but a loss would result in the team being demoted to World Group II, also playing next in September.
Nadia Tolich, managing director Stuff Digital, said it was exciting to be partnering with Tennis NZ to provide exclusive coverage of the tie.
“Last year, Stuff showed live matches from the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the men’s Rugby World Cup,” Tolich said.
“After a great two weeks of tennis at the ASB Classic, followed by the Australian Open, we are thrilled to be able to bring to our audience this Davis Cup tie between New Zealand and Turkey.”