• Travel

    ‘Nothing Whimsical’ As India Field Dhakshineswar Suresh Against Switzerland In Davis Cup

    AnyFans Posted on

    By Feroz Khan,News18

    Copyright news18

    'Nothing Whimsical' As India Field Dhakshineswar Suresh Against Switzerland In Davis Cup

    In a bold move, India has introduced young Dhakshineswar Suresh alongside returning player Sumit Nagal for the World Group I indoor tie against strong hosts Switzerland, starting in Biel (Switzerland) on Friday, aiming for a Davis Cup Qualifiers spot.
    Captain Rohit Rajpal persuaded Dhakshineswar’s coaches in the US to allow him to travel to Switzerland for the tie. The 6-foot 5-inch tall player from Madurai responded well, delivering an impressive performance during the training week.
    Flat hitting and a powerful serve are crucial on indoor courts, and Dhakshineswar excelled in both areas, convincing the non-playing captain that he would be an ideal second singles player.
    Ranked 626, Dhakshineswar will begin the tie against world number 155, Jerome Kym.
    “We are making decisions based on performance, nothing whimsical about it,” Rajpal told PTI. “Dhakshineswar has a huge serve, which is a significant advantage in indoor court ties. We faced visa issues, so I requested Dhakshineswar’s coaches in US College to prepare him on indoor courts.”
    “I stayed in constant communication with them. When Dhakshineswar arrived here, he was well-prepared for the tie. I had no hesitation in selecting him as our second singles player. His game suits indoor courts perfectly. He has recently defeated some good players on the Tour,” Rajpal added.
    “I am glad he is opening the tie. The first day is always crucial, and we are hoping for a good start.”

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Dhakshineswar Suresh (@dhakshin_suresh)

    Nagal is returning to Davis Cup action after the home tie against Morocco in Lucknow in September 2023, where he won both his singles matches in India’s 4-1 win. He did not travel to Pakistan for the historic tie in February 2024 and also missed subsequent matches against Sweden and Togo.
    Nagal has been struggling lately and is now ranked 292 after some unfavourable results this season. A semifinal finish at the Trieste Challenger in Italy this month has been his best performance this season.
    He will play the second singles on Friday against Marc Andrea Hüsler, who is ranked 222.
    However, India will be without their top doubles player, Yuki Bhambri, who could not recover from a heel injury sustained during his memorable US Open campaign, where he reached the semifinals with partner Michael Venus.
    In his absence, Rothvik Bollipalli will pair with N Sriram Balaji to face the Swiss duo of Dominic Stricker (ranked 244 in singles) and Jakub Paul (ranked 78 in doubles). “It’s just unfortunate that Yuki has to miss out. He suffered bruises on his heel that have not yet healed,” said Rajpal.
    Switzerland made a late addition to their squad with reigning junior Australian Open champion Henry Bernet.
    India enters the tie following a dominant 4-0 win over Togo in their World Group I Play-off, while Switzerland fell 1-3 to Spain in the Qualifiers.
    India leads Switzerland 2-1 in Davis Cup ties. The last time the two teams met was in 1993 in Kolkata, where India won 3-2 with singles victories from Leander Paes and Ramesh Krishnan, and a five-set win in doubles.
    The winner will advance to next year’s Davis Cup Qualifiers, while the loser will go to the World Group I Play-offs.
    Indoor conditions in Biel favour flat, hard hitting. Youth and sharpness will be crucial, particularly for the resurgent Nagal and Dhakshineswar.
    Switzerland’s depth will challenge Indian singles resilience. Doubles could be pivotal: the Indian pairing must match the Swiss strength.

    You Might Also Like