Hauling itself up from World Group II shouldn’t be a sophisticated job for India when it takes on an unostentatious Morocco within the dwelling tie, which will likely be extra of a celebration of Rohan Bopanna’s Davis Cup profession, which can come to a halt after 21 years on Sunday.
Lack of singles gamers who might problem the massive boys of the ATP circuit, coupled with defeats in winnable matches, has harm the Indian Davis Cup workforce badly in the previous couple of years on this workforce event, however relegation to World Group II was a brand new low the Indian workforce hit in February.
It was the primary time because the new format was launched in 2019 that the Indians dropped to this stage. Much has modified since India final performed within the Davis Cup tie in March, when it misplaced 2-3 to Denmark.
Indian tennis has hardly had any memorable moments this season till Bopanna reached the US Open closing final week.
It’s not simply the dearth of on-court leads to singles; off-court, the nation additionally felt the frustration of shedding its solely ATP 250 occasion.
Davis Cup: India pronounces five-member workforce for Morocco conflict
Yuki Bhambri, one of many best gamers India has seen, has stopped enjoying the singles format. Ramkumar Ramanathan has dropped out of even the highest 550 and is languishing at quantity 570.
Such has been his plight this season that the Chennai participant has made 17 first-round exits at completely different tournaments, together with the bottom rung, the ITF Futures stage.
It’s not shocking that skipper Rohit Rajpal has not included Ramkumar within the lineup, although he stays part of the squad to assist prepare the gamers.
-Bopanna going sturdy at 43-
But Bopanna continues to be enjoying some strong tennis within the doubles format.
At 43, he nonetheless is among the strongest servers on the circuit. His strokes nonetheless have sting, and he can nonetheless pull off these gorgeous passing winners from tough angles or whereas operating on flanks.
It would have been very best if he had acquired his farewell tie in Bengaluru, however he nonetheless has an opportunity to bid adieu to the Davis Cup earlier than the house followers.
In 32 ties performed since making his debut in 2002, the participant from Coorg has gained 22 matches, together with 10 singles.
He will workforce up with Yuki for one closing time in Davis Cup, whilst he continues to play on the ATP circuit. Ranked contained in the top-10, he has no motive to hold up his racquet.
The AITA felicitated Bopanna in a particular occasion on Thursday night time, the place his contribution to Indian tennis was lauded. Bopanna could have plenty of family and friends members within the stands, which may accommodate about 1,300 folks.
Ideally, as Bopanna had requested, his farewell tie ought to have been hosted in Benglauru, which has significantly better infrastructure and might accommodate 6,500 spectators.
-Sumit Nagal in good touch-
India’s primary singles participant, Sumit Nagal, is in good kind. He is getting into the tie after enjoying the ultimate of a Challenger occasion in Austria. It was his third closing of the season at that stage. Unless there’s an inexplicable meltdown, he would win two factors for India.
Sasi Mukund will lastly get to make his debut. He was named within the workforce even for the tie towards Pakistan again in 2019 however pulled out, saying he had suffered a foot damage.
Digvijay Pratap Singh has additionally made the reduce, and he would possibly get to play a lifeless rubber.
Hot and humid situations will pose a severe health check for each groups. Though the timings have been revised and the beginning of the matches has been delayed by two hours, it’ll nonetheless be a tricky job to negate the energy-sapping situations.
Morocco has just one worthy challenger for India’s singles gamers, Elliot Benchetrit.
The 24-year-old 6’4” tall participant could be ranked simply 465 on the ATP singles chart as of as we speak, however he touched a career-high 198 in February 2020.
Benchetrit has cherished wins towards top-100 gamers, together with one towards a top-50 participant, and has competed on the greatest stage – the Grand Slams – too.
Out of the 2 Indian singles gamers, Mukund has performed and overwhelmed him. They clashed in January 2022 on the Forli Challenger, the place the Indian emerged victorious in two units.
If in any respect there will likely be some battle, will probably be towards Benchetrit, who certified for the US Open in 2019 and Australian Open in 2020, beating high quality gamers equivalent to Emil Ruusuvuori of Finland on the way in which. He had entered the French Open as a wild card in 2018 and took a set off Frenchman Gael Monfils earlier than shedding the opening spherical.
The visiting workforce’s second singles participant is 20-year-old Yassine Dlimi, ranked 557. He continues to be plying his commerce on the ITF Futures circuit.
Adam Moundir is additional behind at 779, and the remaining two gamers – Walid Ahouda and Younes Lalami Laaroussi – don’t determine even within the top-1000.
Given the weak opponents, profitable this tie gained’t be a lot of a problem for India, however chalking out a roadmap for the long run will likely be.
Captain Rajpal and AITA officers want to take a seat and focus on what’s fallacious with the system that India doesn’t have a single top-100 singles participant, and the workforce is now combating it out in World Group II.
There are plenty of questions that want solutions and a few severe soul-searching.
Unless India has high quality singles gamers, the nation won’t excel both in Davis Cup or Grand Slams.
Tennis stays a person {and professional} sport, nevertheless it’s time that AITA comes up with one thing particular to save lots of the sport from plunging to new lows.
Source: sportstar.thehindu.com