Yuki Bhambri said he played “terribly” when he lost the second set 0--6 against Daniel King Turner during the first singles of the Davis Cup relegation play-off tie, in Chandigarh on Friday.
The 20-year old youngster, playing against a player who is placed 203 places below him at 382 in ATP rankings, had to dig deep into his resources for the five-set win.
“It was not the kind of tennis I like to play but I am glad I pulled it off,” Yuki said after the match.
“I played terribly to lose the second set 0-6 but the team kept supporting me. I did not want to lose another set at love and that would have been very embarrassing. When you lose a set 0-6, it means you are not doing anything right. It’s not the best tennis that I played. I wanted to win one game and gradually gained in confidence,” he said at the press conference.
India coach Nandan Bal said Yuki’s fitness stood him in good stead as showed amazing resilience in the match that lasted three hours and 15 minutes.
“We kept him hydrated. That was the key. A player can break tactically but if he break downs physically, then it’s tough. He was incredible physically and showed a big heart,” Bal said.
Turner said his performance dipped after suffering a strain in his left leg.
“I had a strain in my calf (left) and that affected. I felt it when I was coming on to the net. He (Yuki) started hitting ball very well,” he said.
Kiwi skipper Marcel Vos said Turner’s defeat from a winning position was, “disappointing”.
“It is very unfortunate but we are looking forward to the matches ahaed.”
