With India staring down the barrel, Davis Cup captain S P Misra today said he had not expected his side to trail 0—2 on the opening day of their World Group play—off tie against Japan.
India’s biggest hope, Somdev Devvarman suffered a surprise straight—set defeat against Yuichi Sugita and then, Rohan Bopanna met the same fate at the hands of Kei Nishikori to end the day on a disappointing note.
“We had a tough day today. The Japanese boys played very well and deserved to win. We didn’t foresee being down 0—2.
(Somdev) Devvarman’s injury was clearly bothering him. He just could not hit the ball well,” Misra said.
India’s non—playing captain, though, did not want to sound pessimist.
“Being down 2—0 is a tough position for us. We will have to take it one match at a time from now starting with the doubles,” Misra said.
Bopanna praised Nishikori for playing an outstanding game.
“He is playing at a high level. He is really quick. I think he is playing like a top 30 player. He was fantastic,” Bopanna said.
Nishikori felt that Sugita’s upset win over Somdev helped him play without any pressure.
“Sugita’s victory took a lot of pressure off me. I returned well today, especially on his second serve. I knew I could beat him if I played my game,” he said.
“My win makes it 2—0 and puts us very close to what we are striving for,” he added.
