NZ Davis Cup team keeps eye on big prize in Jakarta

The prize is huge for the New Zealand Davis Cup team in Jakarta this weekend, with a spot in the big time up for grabs.

New Zealand takes on Indonesia in a tie they’re expected to win and if they do, they’ll qualify for the World Group playoffs in March.

‘‘It’s enormous,’’ Davis Cup captain Alistair Hunt said.

‘‘The Davis Cup seems to change regularly, with what the plans are, but for us to get into that World Group playoff is massive and it will be good to start the new Davis Cup on the right foot and get going in that world group qualifying.

‘‘It’s obviously going to be a tough tie this weekend and we’ll see what happens.’’

There’s a new look to the New Zealand team, with stalwart Rubin Statham out for the whole year after a hip operation.

Michael Venus would prefer to focus just on doubles, so it will be Ajeet Rai and Rhett Purcell down to play the singles rubbers.

The 20-year-old Rai has never played a singles rubber before, while 23-year-old Purcell will be making his Davis Cup debut.

‘‘It’s disappointing with Rubin not here, hopefully he’s recovering well from his injury and I’m looking forward to seeing him back on court,’’ Hunt said.

‘‘But it is exciting for the young guys and we’re looking forward to seeing what they can do this weekend. It’s a big challenge for them and a new environment, going out in live matches is always a challenge first up.

‘‘So we’re trying to help them get ready and settle down, to get them in the best form they can be in for this weekend.

‘‘These guys are the future of the team and the quicker we get them feeling comfortable in this environment, the better it is down the track.’’

While New Zealand is short on singles players, the country boasts three world-class doubles players in Venus, Marcus Daniell and Artem Sitak and it’s unfortunate that three doesn’t go into two, so one of them always misses out and this time it’s Sitak.

‘‘It’s always going to be tough,’’ Hunt said. ‘‘The established team is Artem and Marcus, they’ve played the most together in Davis Cup ties... But Mike is the No 1 player and has got a big foot in the door.

‘‘Mike is still there to some degree as singles cover and that has to be on the table, so we’ll see how the week pans out.’’

Sitak, though, is part of the fiveman team, which means he, along with Daniell and Venus will be eligible for selection for the doubles at next year’s Olympics.

ITF rules state players can only play in the Olympics if they have represented their country in Davis or Fed Cup the previous year.

‘‘That’s obviously a factor for us,’’ Hunt said.

‘‘We want to help these guys as much as we can and they’ve given a lot to Davis Cup and New Zealand tennis in the past. So from our point of view, we’ve got to really back them to get to the Olympics.’’