Press Trust of India
Chandigarh, July 14: Beset by injuries to singles players and ‘mistrust’ between the Rio-bound doubles players, India would expect young Ramkumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni to rise to the occasion when they face Korea in the Asia/Oceania Group I Davis Cup tie, starting here Friday.
The 21-year-old Ramkumar will make his Davis Cup debut for the country as Yuki Bhambri and Somdev Devvarman have been ruled out of the event with injuries.
The Chennai lad’s game is full of energy, passion and sharp strokes, especially his forehand, but lack of consistency has not taken him far on the Tour. This is the moment for him to enhance his reputation by winning Davis Cup matches for the country.
Korea are also without their top player, Hyeon Chung, ranked 107 now but was a career-best 51 last year. In his absence the best-ranked player in Korean camp is Seong-chan Hong, who is placed as low as 427 in the ATP singles list. Yong-Kyu Lim (626), Yunseong Chung (628) and Hong Chung (655) are the other players in the side.
This line-up is not likely to trouble India who have far more experienced players in the squad. Myneni now has played three ties and has lost only one doubles match.
Expectations while representing the nation can create a lot of pressure in the head but both Ramkumar and Myneni have the chance to deliver now. They are not up against a formidable rival and have home advantage plus the fan support.
Grass is not the surface players from either side prefer but India chose to host this tie on grass as it is akin to an alien turf for the Koreans. It gives advantage to the hosts, who are more experienced as far as the surface is concerned.
Incidentally, Davis Cup returns to grass courts in India for the first time since 2008 when the hosts had beaten Japan 3-2 in a close tie in New Delhi.
But then India have their own problems. The hosts have Rohan Bopanna and Leander Paes as the doubles pair for the tie as AITA wants them to tune up for the Rio Olympic Games by resolving their differences.
It’s baffling how the mistrust of years can be removed in one week. Bopanna has already taken pot shots at Paes for him joining the side too late.