India's stellar Davis Cup performance April 08

India clinched an impressive 3-2 win over Japan in the Davis Cup semi-final of the Asia Oceania group. India now has advanced into the World Group Play offs .The next tie is due to be held in September though the draw is yet to be made.There are athletes who succumb to the pressure of playing under a national flag and then there are some who are able raise their game to delirious heights. The due credit for this remarkable victory will need to be given to the singles players Prakash Amritraj and Rohan Bopanna. Though their sharpness was never in question, both were nursing injuries . Bopanna had to sacrifice his final of an ITF Men’s event as a precautionary measure, a week before the Davis Cup. Harsh Mankad was added as an alternate at the last minute in lieu of his recent performances in the ITF events at Mumbai and Chandigarh.
When I spoke to Bopanna 2 days before the tie, I could sense the excitement in his voice. As per the draw he got what he wanted, a first match against the top ranked Nishikori. The two Indian singles players, whose rankings are not an indication of their grass prowess, showed their Japanese rivals that rankings are a mere formality in Davis Cup. Bopanna’s match lasted approximately three hours and it was the break in the fifth game of the fifth set which ended with a 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 victory over 118th-ranked Kei Nishikori. His powerful serve and volley game packed with enough aces made him almost invincible in the fifth set.Prakash Amritraj’s battle was just as nail-biting as he fought from a 2 set deficit to close the match at 4-6, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4, 8-6. His opponent Go Soeda ranked 156 in the ATP turned pro in 2003 and is a familiar face on the challenger circuit. Their match lasted more than four hours with Soeda losing serve early in the 3rd set. Despite facing the barrel of two match points in the final set, Prakash remembered his father’s advice to him to “hang in there”. And hang in, he did, to put India in the driver’s seat with a 2-0 overall lead on the first day.The second day proved to be fairly a routine one at the office for the doubles pair of Bhupathi and Leander. After a brief hiccup, the former no. 1 duo had a 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over veteran Japanese team of Satoshi Iwabuchi and Takao Suzuki. Iwabuchi, the lanky lefty proved to be a weak link in the doubles and admitted later that he could not keep his nerves under control.Having wiped out Japan in the first 2 days itself, both Prakash and Rohan decided to rest and opted out of the reverse singles. Leander and Mahesh Bhupathi played singles after many years just as a formality to finish the tie. They both lost rather tamely to their younger rivals. If there were an option, the alternate players could have benefitted from a Davis Cup match.For me the most surprising factor was Japan’s preparation or actually the lack of it, on grass. They arrived in Delhi only 3 days before the tie. The last time their number one player played on grass was 3 years ago in the Wimbledon Junior event. Whether it was over-confidence or nonchalance, bad preparations might have cost them the tie. This is surely not to take away the scintillating 7 hours of display from Prakash Amritraj or Rohan Bopanna.This magnificent performance had an undercurrent of uneasiness before the tie. While Prakash and Rohan had sent a letter to the AITA that they want Leander replaced as captain, it was meant to be a closed affair. How the letter was leaked out was something no one will know, but the boys seem to have learnt from the lesson and were all business before and after their matches. They came together and fought hard commendably and have shown their worth to the AITA and to the world. What they want is an experienced non-playing captain who can make unbiased decisions and focus on just that. Being a playing captain has its challenges. The issue was not about Leander’s distinguished Davis Cup record. Having played for India since 1990, his myriad upsets over top players have made him an icon. The issue was that he made some decisions without consulting the team regarding line-ups and that he had far too much on his hands.In all this, the AITA have chosen to side with Leander. By giving into the demands of players, the AITA might be faced with recurrence of these revolts. So they have tactfully avoided making any decisions until September.Going forward, the top item on the agenda should be to get Bhupathi and Leander on the same page to start their preparations for the Beijing Games. The reason why they gel as a team from a tennis perspective is that in doubles there needs to be one solid player who can set up the point and one aggressor to finish and blast it off. Mahesh is the rock with his low return of serves, while Leander is the guy with the lightening speed feet and hands who can punch a volley off before the blink of an eye. What makes their doubles team a rare combination is also the fact that Leander is most comfortable playing on the right side(deuce) of the court while Mahesh’s forte is the left side(advantage) of the court.I have known both Leander and Mahesh and their differences in opinions started way back when Leander’s father Vece Paes was the manager for Bhupathi as well. Ego clashes along with twisted quotes from each other’s press conferences have spiraled this into a bigger problem. In my opinion, many of their issues have skyrocketed partly due to many people around them who have instigated it further for their own benefit. I feel the All India Tennis association can take a more affirmative role by appointing a person or persons to bring them to talking terms .The timing is just as crucial as few more matches with each other will increase India’s chances at a medal in tennis at the Olympics It is ironical yet quite important that their interaction is absolutely necessary for them to be featured together a s a team. Bhupathi is the highest ranked Indian at 13, while Leander is behind him at 24 and Rohan Bopanna is 54 in the ATP doubles ranking list. Olympic participation in tennis will depend upon rankings and the Federation’s nomination. These guys have shown that they have the game and the heart. Now it is up to the All India Tennis Association to bring this team together