September 12, 2025 • 5 mins
New Zealand's bid for promotion in tennis' Davis Cup begins in their World Group II tie against Georgia in Palmerston North this afternoon.
The winning nation will progress to the Group I playoffs.
Non-playing captain Artem Sitak joined D’Arcy Waldegrave to preview the event.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Davis carp One of the wonderful tournaments in world sport,
one of the old school tournaments and world sport, is
in Palmerston North this week in the home of my forefathers,
the water Graves on your JJ, New Zealand World Group
two they're taking on Georgia. There's singles and doubles at
our fly Parmi Arena today and tomorrow they're playing World
(00:36):
Group two. They're pushing to make their way back to
World Group one, where they probably belong. Our tem c
Tech are non plane captain of New Zealand' Davis Cup team.
He joins us now to tell us more about the
event and the competition. They are coming up against Gooday
artem Here. You're going, I'm going, well, what about yourself
and your team ahead of this Georgia fixture in Palmerston North.
(00:58):
I don't think I'd ever say those words, but that's
what's happening here.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Hey, we played here last year and we were so
close to beating Luxembourg, who are very strong, so we
decided to come back here. Yeah, it's a great atmosphere.
We love it here. The court looks amazing, they're ina
looks great and just looking forward to that full crowd.
To be very very.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Loud, I was saying about Georgia, You playing Georgia and
Palmerston off. That's what got me, not you playing, So
I tell us susan voltage engage because I believe the
best Georgian player has succumb to injury and won't be there.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Yeah, well, well he's here. He was training all week
and he was looking very strong, and unfortunately for them,
he heard his hamstring yesterday in training and he's definitely out.
We just had to draw done. So they're number two
and number three will be playing singles and they'll probably
play the doubles too. They didn't line them up for
(01:52):
doubles yet. But there's not much room to maneuver for
them right now, just because the best players out. But
that doesn't mean much in Davis Cup because you know,
people play their hearts out and they play like really
really well. So the number two and three guys, they're
still really good and we just need to stay focused
on ourselves and get the jomp done on the weekend.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
So you're not too far away. Rankings wise, and the
Davis Cup you're second sitting in what high forties? I
think Georgia are in high fifties. So based on that,
I don't know how much you can take off that,
but it should be recently our close series.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think it will be very close, yes,
because yeah, we were in the Group one for many years,
so I think that's why we ranked a little bit higher,
even though they have higher ranked players from the ATP.
So no, yeah, definitely going to be a tough match.
They're very good team.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
So tell us what is on the line? Where are
you at? You talk about Group one? How long you're therefore?
Were you? Now what hangs on this particular series out of them?
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Well, that's exactly what hangs on. It is. If we're
win this weekend, we go back to Group one playoffs,
which were we played there for I think fifteen years
in the last twenty, so I'm really hoping we can
get that done. And then we're looking at some really
big names, big teams that we can face, because last
time we were there we played Finland in Finland and
(03:14):
Russe wore top four in the world. Heliovara number one
in doubles in the world was on the team, so
that's that kind of caliber players will be represented in
Group one.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Who's on for US Sylvia got out there on the court.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
So right now the lineup is James Watt will start
against their number two player, which he was number three
but now he became number two, and then Jack Cloud
it will play their number one on the lineup, but
who was originally number two, just because that number one
got hurt.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
And we've got the signe normal, isn't it. You've got
the top seeds playing and then next and then you
go do you go reverse? Then you go doubles?
Speaker 3 (03:56):
After that, yeah you got one. Yeah, you got number
one versus number two and the number two versus number
one on the first day and then the second day
that's the big one. You start with doubles. We got
a gee, Ryan sin Reynolds starting in doubles and then
the reverse singles would be one against one. That's the
order and then if needed, if it's too all and
the last two ties we played it was to all
(04:18):
and the number two plays the deciding match.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
What's your hit around there's the captain as the captain,
what do you have to impress upon your players around
what you do and how you prep and build for this.
If everything could be hanging on that last match, you
can't look that far forward, can you. No?
Speaker 3 (04:33):
No, no, We just take it up as one on
a time and we know with all the experience we
have that anything is possible in Davis Cup. It doesn't
matter how you like what happens. What matters is the
end results. So you gotta win every match. You gotta
focus on every match, and we're going to start with
start with James. It's going to be a big battle,
and then we go from there and no matter what
happens on the other end with the number one getting
(04:55):
hurt or whatever, that doesn't affect us at all. We
still have a job to do and still got to
be focused on ourselves and what we wekend control. And
I think the boys are really ready to go, been
training really well. They're definitely pumped and ready to go
global game.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
So Georgia have got a hell of a travel schedule.
How much is that going to disadvantage them? Do you think?
I mean, it's one side of a planet to the other.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Bro.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Well, yeah, that's that's what we get when we have
to travel to Europe or or whatever. So yeah, now
home court advantage is huge always. Definitely. They came here
on a Monday, I think, and they were really exhausted,
jet lagged, and yeah, they it took them like two
days to get to get on court and be like
fairly fresh, you know, so obviously that helps us. So
(05:43):
we got to use that to the fullest.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
For more from the Old Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
listen live to news talks it'd be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Davis carp One of the wonderful tournaments in world sport,
one of the old school tournaments and world sport, is
in Palmerston North this week in the home of my forefathers,
the water Graves on your JJ, New Zealand World Group
two they're taking on Georgia. There's singles and doubles at
our fly Parmi Arena today and tomorrow they're playing World
(00:36):
Group two. They're pushing to make their way back to
World Group one, where they probably belong. Our tem c
Tech are non plane captain of New Zealand' Davis Cup team.
He joins us now to tell us more about the
event and the competition. They are coming up against Gooday
artem Here. You're going, I'm going, well, what about yourself
and your team ahead of this Georgia fixture in Palmerston North.
(00:58):
I don't think I'd ever say those words, but that's
what's happening here.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Hey, we played here last year and we were so
close to beating Luxembourg, who are very strong, so we
decided to come back here. Yeah, it's a great atmosphere.
We love it here. The court looks amazing, they're ina
looks great and just looking forward to that full crowd.
To be very very.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Loud, I was saying about Georgia, You playing Georgia and
Palmerston off. That's what got me, not you playing, So
I tell us susan voltage engage because I believe the
best Georgian player has succumb to injury and won't be there.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Yeah, well, well he's here. He was training all week
and he was looking very strong, and unfortunately for them,
he heard his hamstring yesterday in training and he's definitely out.
We just had to draw done. So they're number two
and number three will be playing singles and they'll probably
play the doubles too. They didn't line them up for
(01:52):
doubles yet. But there's not much room to maneuver for
them right now, just because the best players out. But
that doesn't mean much in Davis Cup because you know,
people play their hearts out and they play like really
really well. So the number two and three guys, they're
still really good and we just need to stay focused
on ourselves and get the jomp done on the weekend.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
So you're not too far away. Rankings wise, and the
Davis Cup you're second sitting in what high forties? I
think Georgia are in high fifties. So based on that,
I don't know how much you can take off that,
but it should be recently our close series.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think it will be very close, yes,
because yeah, we were in the Group one for many years,
so I think that's why we ranked a little bit higher,
even though they have higher ranked players from the ATP.
So no, yeah, definitely going to be a tough match.
They're very good team.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
So tell us what is on the line? Where are
you at? You talk about Group one? How long you're therefore?
Were you? Now what hangs on this particular series out of them?
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Well, that's exactly what hangs on. It is. If we're
win this weekend, we go back to Group one playoffs,
which were we played there for I think fifteen years
in the last twenty, so I'm really hoping we can
get that done. And then we're looking at some really
big names, big teams that we can face, because last
time we were there we played Finland in Finland and
(03:14):
Russe wore top four in the world. Heliovara number one
in doubles in the world was on the team, so
that's that kind of caliber players will be represented in
Group one.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Who's on for US Sylvia got out there on the court.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
So right now the lineup is James Watt will start
against their number two player, which he was number three
but now he became number two, and then Jack Cloud
it will play their number one on the lineup, but
who was originally number two, just because that number one
got hurt.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
And we've got the signe normal, isn't it. You've got
the top seeds playing and then next and then you
go do you go reverse? Then you go doubles?
Speaker 3 (03:56):
After that, yeah you got one. Yeah, you got number
one versus number two and the number two versus number
one on the first day and then the second day
that's the big one. You start with doubles. We got
a gee, Ryan sin Reynolds starting in doubles and then
the reverse singles would be one against one. That's the
order and then if needed, if it's too all and
the last two ties we played it was to all
(04:18):
and the number two plays the deciding match.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
What's your hit around there's the captain as the captain,
what do you have to impress upon your players around
what you do and how you prep and build for this.
If everything could be hanging on that last match, you
can't look that far forward, can you. No?
Speaker 3 (04:33):
No, no, We just take it up as one on
a time and we know with all the experience we
have that anything is possible in Davis Cup. It doesn't
matter how you like what happens. What matters is the
end results. So you gotta win every match. You gotta
focus on every match, and we're going to start with
start with James. It's going to be a big battle,
and then we go from there and no matter what
happens on the other end with the number one getting
(04:55):
hurt or whatever, that doesn't affect us at all. We
still have a job to do and still got to
be focused on ourselves and what we wekend control. And
I think the boys are really ready to go, been
training really well. They're definitely pumped and ready to go
global game.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
So Georgia have got a hell of a travel schedule.
How much is that going to disadvantage them? Do you think?
I mean, it's one side of a planet to the other.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Bro.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Well, yeah, that's that's what we get when we have
to travel to Europe or or whatever. So yeah, now
home court advantage is huge always. Definitely. They came here
on a Monday, I think, and they were really exhausted,
jet lagged, and yeah, they it took them like two
days to get to get on court and be like
fairly fresh, you know, so obviously that helps us. So
(05:43):
we got to use that to the fullest.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
For more from the Old Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
listen live to news talks it'd be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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