press trust of india
New Delhi, August 1: Mahesh Bhupathi stated here Saturday that the Indian Davis Cup team needs to pull off a miracle against the Czech Republic if it has to advance to the elite World Group.
World No. 6 Tomas Berdych and multiple doubles Grand Slam winner Radek Stepanek had skipped their last tie against Australia but Bhupathi, who is in touch with Tour players, stated they will play against India in the next month’s play-off tie here.
“Unfortunately, I have got a message from Tomas Berdych last evening asking about hotel details. So the Czechs are coming at full strength. It’s going to be hard,” Bhupathi told reporters on the sidelines of an IPTL event here.
The veteran doubles player pointed out that there won’t be any home advantage for India as they would be taking the court against players of the calibre of Berdych and Stepanek.
“The Czech Republic have won two titles in the last four years, so it’s going to be a very tough encounter. We are playing Stepanek and Berdych, so our guys need to do something extraordinary,” Bhupathi said.
“But never say never in Davis Cup. We will put up a good fight I am sure,” he added.
Talking about junior Wimbledon doubles champion Sumit Nagal, who trains in Germany with Bhupathi’s support, he said, “Winning the junior Wimbledon doubles title will give Sumit a lot of confidence. The transition from junior to senior is about taking 200 steps and he has to do it one by one. The next three-four years will be defining for him. We will try to give as much support as possible.”
