Captain Paul Haarhuis had a luxury position when compiling his selection for the Davis Cup Finals. Illustrative was that he is not taking doubles specialist Jean-Julien Rojer, who can win his second grand slam title of the year at the US Open, to Glasgow. Robin Haase, until a few years ago the undisputed leader, is also not there for the first time.
Two men who belong to the world’s top 50 in singles, one who is on the brink of the global top 100 and two doubles who belong to the world’s top. Haarhuis also knows that Dutch tennis has been significantly less successful since his appointment.
,,Here at the National Training Center, about eight boys have always been training together in recent years. They pushed each other up, and Botic van de Zandschulp and Tallon groenpoor have taken a pioneering role in this. Then someone like Tim van Rijthoven also thought: I also have weapons, apparently it can happen to me too. It’s the result of training all in one place.”
Van Rijthoven confessed today at the preview of the Finals that he ‘will be the third man’. According to Haarhuis, however, it is not yet a foregone conclusion that Van de Zandschulp and Greek track will take care of the singles.
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In the coming days we will train and find out what the courts are like, who is playing well, who is fresh and who has the confidence to play those matches.
“He says that in all his modesty,” said Haarhuis. ,,It’s a pity that both he and Tallon have played very few games, so you can’t say: he or he is the man in shape. They are both a bit searching.”
According to Haarhuis, it will become more clear in the coming days. The team flies to Scotland on Friday. ,,In the coming days we will train and find out what the courts are like, who is playing well, who is fresh and who has the confidence to play those matches,” said Haarhuis. ,,And then I will hopefully have to make a difficult choice on Monday. It is a luxury position.”
Double player Wesley Koolhof will join the team later. He and Matwé Middelkoop were preferred over Rojer, who won Roland Garros this summer and is in the semifinals at the US Open, opposite Koolhof by the way.
“That choice was made on the basis that Wesley has been the most consistent double player for the last two years,” said the captain. ,,He and Rojer played together for a while and that was not a success. Plus, they’re both on the right. So I didn’t choose the best doubles, but the best team.”
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