Federer prize on offer for Niland

TENNIS : IN THE biggest match of his career Ireland’s Conor Niland meets the world number 53 Adrian Mannarino in the first round…

TENNIS: IN THE biggest match of his career Ireland's Conor Niland meets the world number 53 Adrian Mannarino in the first round at Wimbledon, which begins today.

The Ireland number one has the first day of the tournament off before facing the Frenchman tomorrow, with the winner likely to face arguably the greatest player that ever lived, Roger Federer, on Centre Court in the second round. Federer, seeded third, meets the unseeded Mikhail Kukushkin in his first match.

It is Niland’s first time in the main draw and Mannarino’s second. The left-hander went out in the first round in 2009 and has also played in the Australian Open, at Roland Garros and in the US Open but has never travelled further than the second round.

Still, Mannarino, who recently defeated the one time world number four Juan Martin Del Potro (now ranked 22) is not an insurmountable challenge for the 184-ranked Niland, who is back in form after a hip injury and two bouts of flu earlier in the season.

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“He spent a lot of time on Challengers last year when I played in them,” says Niland. who is the first Irishman to play at Wimbledon since 1984.

“Mannarino played in quite a few of the tournaments I played in. I also played him in ’06 in a Futures tournament in Spain. He beat me in three sets on a hard court when we were both starting out. I was just finished college and he was turning pro.

“He’s good. He’s very talented, a lefty. He beat Del Potro at Queen’s so it’s tricky. But it’s winnable.

It’s not a bad draw. We’ll see. I’ll have to play very well to win it.”

For now the 29-year-old is getting used to his first venture into a Grand Slam main draw, which comes after a rain-delayed week in the qualifiers at Roehampton. The days rest today also comes as a blessing as he finds his footing in the biggest tennis tournament in the world. The fact Irish tennis has again been mapped in a major is also a pressure removed.

“I don’t know what court or what time yet,” he says. “That’s nice. Again I’ve an extra day to get used to it.

“I don’t know my way around Wimbledon . . . You know Grand Slams are just huge places and you don’t know where the changing rooms are or the stringers. Everything is spread out so it’s nice to get a day or two to get the bearings and just rest.

“It’s kind of emotional too, so a Tuesday start is kind of what I wanted. The pressure maybe would have borne down on me yesterday because to get in was the big thing for Irish tennis, to get back into the main tournament.

“If I’d fallen short again it would have been tough. But I’ve done it, everything is a kind of a bonus now because I’ve gotten into the biggest tournament there is and I’m delighted. I’ll enjoy it.”

A first round win would equal Niland’s former Davis Cup team mate Louk Sorensen’s run in the Australian Open last year, where he made the second round. But Wimbledon and the All England Club have a different timbre to Melbourne Park and many more eyes are watching.

“It’s a great feeling. And Wimbledon as well. Of all the ones to get,” he says. “I’ve been able to get a really good run of matches these last three weeks, ten or 11 matches, which are just what you need. I’m back to where I was last year when I was playing my best tennis.

“I had a tough start to the year. I got cortisone in my hip. Then I got two bouts of the flu, one of them for three weeks just before our Davis Cup against Luxembourg (March). I didn’t get the training under my belt that you need. Then I came back but I didn’t have the training so I wasn’t winning matches in the Challengers.”

A first round defeat would earn Niland £11,500 (€13,025) and a win £24,125 (€27,323), as well as a what would be the most memorable match of his life, most likely on Centre Court.