Racquets: Confident Niland insists he's 'faster and stronger' than Serena
CONOR NILAND says he agrees with John McEnroe that women's world No 1 Serena Williams wouldn't be capable of beating a men's player in the top 600 of the world rankings.
McEnroe made the comment in the wake of the younger Williams' defeat of Russia's Vera Zvonareva in last weekend's Wimbledon singles final.
After wrapping up her fourth All-England title, Serena herself had claimed that she would have an excellent chance of scoring a win over any male player ranked outside the top 100.
"I'd be very confident of beating Serena myself," said 162-ranked Niland ahead of the Davis Cup clash between Ireland and Lithuania at Dublin's Fitzwilliam Club on tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday.
"In fact, I'd go even further than McEnroe and say that she would have considerable difficulty in beating any men's player in the top 1,000 of the rankings.
"And actually that was something Andy Murray said on radio after Wimbledon this year. In my own case, I know I'd be faster and stronger than Serena, and also I hit the ball harder."
The Irish No 1 went on to say that it's always puzzled him why tennis is the only sport where comparisons are made between top women and men players. "Admittedly, tennis is not a contact sport like the various forms of football," said Niland. "But it's still a very physically demanding sport. However, you never hear comparisons between women and men golfers, which you think would be more valid than comparisons between women and men tennis players, because golf is not a physically demanding sport."
Niland, meanwhile, feels that Ireland will have an excellent chance of clinching a promotion play-off place against either Bulgaria or Slovenia in September if they reproduce the form shown in the 4-1 win over Turkey last March.
"The Lithuanians will be tough opposition, but the quality of our performance against Turkey gives us a lot of heart," he said. It's a view echoed by Davis Cup boss Sean Sorensen, who remains upbeat despite the absence of his son Louk because of injury.
Less than two months after winning a round in the main draw of the Australian Open, Louk was sidelined from the first-round win over Turkey in Dublin in March due to a hamstring injury.
And now the national No 2 is unavailable for selection for the Europe-Africa Zone Group Two second-round tie due to a pelvic infection which he picked up in the wake of his very creditable performance against Argentina's Jose Acasuso in the first round of French Open qualifying.
"Obviously, it's always a blow for a Davis Cup tie when one of your top players is missing," said Sorensen, who has drafted in James Cluskey in place of Louk alongside Limerick's Niland and fellow Dubs James McGee and Barry King.
"But we've known for some time now that Louk wasn't going to make it for this weekend. Because of injury, Louk has been only able to play five matches this year, so it was on the cards that this was going to be a problem for this tie.
"But I think we can take encouragement from the fact that Louk also missed the Turkey tie, and despite that fact we still won 4-1.
"The lads certainly rose to the challenge on that occasion and hopefully they will do the same again this weekend."
- Paddy Hickey
Irish Independent
