Will Yuki Bhambri be able to bring out his best against the Czech Republic? That is the big question ahead of India’s Davis Cup World Group play-off tie against the Czech Republic at the RK Khanna Stadium which begins on Friday.
Will the fans show up at the stadium on a warm working day when the 23-year-old Bhambri, the hero of India’s last Davis Cup tie in freezing conditions against New Zealand in Christchurch, takes on the Czech No.2 Lukas Rosol in the opener?
Rosol, who famously defeated Rafael Nadal in the second round at Wimbledon in 2012, is only nominally the visiting side’s No.2; he was ranked as high as No.26 in the world around the same time last year.
No wonder the Czech captain Jaroslav Navratil remarked that it did not matter for him who played first, as long as his goes 2-0 up on the first day.
Bhambri had a chance to put India in the World Group last year but went down in straight sets in the deciding rubber against Serbia’s Filip Krajinovic. He was a different player then, having lost four months of the season to injury.
This year, though, he is fresh from winning a Challenger event in Shanghai, and has been doing very well on the Challenger circuit through the season around the world.
Clearly, the 30-year-old Rosol is more used to competing against quality players at a higher level, including at the Grand Slams that demand endurance over five sets.
Both Rosol and the Czech No.1 Jiri Vesely, a big left-hander with a solid game, said that they were prepared to play their best in tight matches.
Rains forecastHeat may not be such a decisive factor, with thunder showers forecast over the next four days. The silver lining in the case of rain is that it could give the players a break, allowing them emerge ready to explode on court again.
But, as Radek Stepanek, a pillar of strength in the Czech squad and a hero of two of the team’s Cup triumphs, remarked, the players would be ready to deliver their best when it counts the most, irrespective of the weather.
Captain Anand Amritraj will be pleased that it is the 125th ranked Bhambri who will open India’s campaign.
“I am looking forward to it,” said Bhambri, a former world No.1 junior and Youth Olympics silver medallist, about being first up. “With the score at 0-0 and not having to wait, you can play free.”
On the court being slow, Somdev Devvarman, who has beaten high quality players like Dusan Lajovic and Janko Tipsarevic in Davis Cup play, said it would give Bhambri the time to play his shots.
“And, I will have a lot of time to run,” he quipped.
The 42-year-old Leander Paes, in his 26th year as a Davis Cupper, said it would be important for the players to pace themselves in matches that could run long.
“It is all about winning the big points, winning the break-points,” said Paes.
While it is easy to sympathise with Saketh Myneni at whose expense Paes will play, it would be unwise to overlook the latter’s achievements. An 89-32 win-loss record — the fourth best in the history of Davis Cup — apart, he has won 18 of his last 19 doubles rubbers. It is on such contributions that big wins are built.
The Czechs have a 3-0 record against India dating back to 1926, but India has fought hard each time, winning at least one rubber.
This is one of the best teams that has been assembled to fight for India, with each one a potential hero at his best.
The Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley, a big tennis fan himself, pulled out Rosol’s name for the first rubber at the draw ceremony that was attended also by Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
