MAKE A RACKET

Conor Niland hoping Ireland can rise to Davis Cup challenge

- Derek FOLEY

IRELAND will play in one of the world's great sports competitions over the weekend, the Davis Cup.

The tournament has given us Andy Murray's 2015 heroics in Ghent as the UK took the trophy for the first time in 79 years and Novak Djokovic leading Serbia to an emotional first triumph in 2010.

Ireland first competed for the Davis Cup and enjoyed heady days in the early 1980s, reaching the World Group playoffs and in company with USA in 1983.

Ireland captain this weekend is Conor Niland, the country's is Ireland's 21st century tennis poster boy, as both player and utterly, coach.

"I started in 2000, made my Davis Cup debut against Croatia at 18" said Niland ahead of the match with China.

"Goran Ivaniševic was their number one and went and won Wimbledon the following year.

"I finished playing Davis Cup in 2012 and in 2013 and 2014 was assistant captain and, since 2015, the captain, and here I am still at it!"

Niland's opening tie in 2000 was a memorable one too:

"It was exciting, it was in Fitzwilliam on Court One. Owen Casey played Ivaniševic who was such a big name character of the 1990s and took a set off him.

"I played against a guy called Ivo Karlovic. He was about 200 at the time but ended up being top 20 in the ATP rankings. He was 6ft10in, I played well and felt quite comfortable and managed to take a set and I was like 'Oh, I love this!' and kind of went from there."

He will lead Michael Agwi and Peter Buldorini in their tilt against a country that has world ranked ATP 47 Zhang Zhizhen and Yunchaokete Bu, who is at ATP 71.

Ireland, insists Niland, are aiming for an upset: "Michael Agwi is very talented, moves great, based in Berlin, born in Ireland, and has performed really well for us in Davis Cup.