India’s 2025 Davis Cup marketing campaign started with a cushty 4-0 win over lower-ranked and inexperienced Togo in a World Group I Play-Off on the DLTA advanced in New Delhi on February 1-2. The victory over Togo was roughly assured when the draw was held in October. What adopted in Delhi this month was a mere formality.
The African nation returned to the Davis Cup in 2022 after being absent for nearly twenty years and began its journey all the way in which from Group IV (Africa zone). It did nicely to succeed in the World Group I Play-Offs by successful 10 of its 11 ties in such a brief span. Nonetheless, it didn’t face any opponent even near the extent of the present Indian squad, which comprised S. Mukund (World No. 365), Ramkumar Ramanathan (World No. 406) and debutant Karan Singh (World No. 496) as choices for singles rubbers. Olympian N. Sriram Balaji (World No. 64) and Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli (World No. 79), one other debutant, have been chosen for doubles.
Then again, Togo had only one participant with an ATP rating — Thomas Setodji (World No. 1256), whereas Liova Ajavon, Hod’abalo Padio and M’lapa Akomlo have been the opposite members, with Alisama Agnamba because the non-playing captain. The gulf in high quality was evident. The Togolese merely didn’t have the extent to problem the host.
With temperatures within the low 20s, fleeting daylight and barely any robust winds, round 2,000 spectators turned up every day to assist the gamers. Mukund (left), enjoying solely his second Davis Cup tie since he cramped and hobbled off the courtroom on his debut in opposition to Morocco in Lucknow in 2023, took down Ajavon 6-2, 6-1 earlier than Ramkumar brushed apart Setodji 6-0, 6-2 to provide the host a 2-0 lead on day one.
On day two, Rithvik and Balaji put the tie to mattress as they took down Akomlo and Padio 6-2, 6-1. Singh and Padio confronted one another within the first reverse singles, a useless rubber, and the Indian triumphed 6-2, 6-3. Two of the 4 rubbers completed in below an hour.
India will subsequent compete in a World Group I tie in September, the place a win in opposition to its opponent — which can both be one of many winners from the opposite World Group I Play-Offs or the defeated sides from the 2025 Qualifiers — will guarantee a spot in subsequent 12 months’s Qualifiers.
India’s Davis Cup downfall
India has not reached the Davis Cup Qualifiers since its 1-3 defeat to Croatia in 2021, however the nation’s wrestle to problem the stronger groups has lasted for much longer. A number of components equivalent to lack of sustained high quality in singles, gamers’ dedication, and missteps by the All India Tennis Affiliation (AITA) have led to this example.
India is a three-time Davis Cup finalist (1966, 1974 and 1987). Previously, gamers equivalent to Ramanathan Krishnan, Ramesh Krishnan, Vijay Amritraj, Anand Amritraj, Leander Paes and Somdev Devvarman have punched above their weight to defy the percentages and beat higher-ranked opponents in Davis Cup rubbers.
Karan Singh.
| Picture Credit score:
SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP
Karan Singh.
| Picture Credit score:
SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP
Ramanathan famously shocked Australian legend Rod Laver in 4 units within the Inter-Zonal Closing in 1959, a tie which India misplaced 1-4. A younger Paes upset high clay courter Arnaud Boetsch as he and Ramesh went on to beat France 3-2 within the quarterfinals in 1993.
The present singles crop of Ramkumar, Mukund and India No. 1 Sumit Nagal has but to show its mettle in opposition to harder opponents.
By way of dedication as nicely, the Amritrajs (each performed a complete of 72 singles rubbers), the Krishnans (111 singles rubbers) and Paes (70 singles) by no means shied away from nationwide responsibility.
The calls for of modern-day tennis are understandably better as the sport has turn into extra bodily, however aside from accidents, within the latest previous, gamers equivalent to Nagal and Mukund have missed ties for different causes as nicely. Nagal was infamously dropped from the 2017 tie in opposition to New Zealand as a consequence of disciplinary points. He and Mukund additionally refused to journey to Pakistan final 12 months.
A disastrous 0-4 loss away to Sweden in a World Group I tie in September 2024 solely made issues worse. Nagal pulled out of the Stockholm tie as a consequence of a again subject. Nonetheless, AITA secretary Anil Dhupar insinuated that Nagal had intentionally missed the fixture and as an alternative had requested for a big annual price to play within the competitors. Dhupar additionally mentioned that Nagal was enjoying a match in China. The Indian was really scheduled to play the Hangzhou Open, an ATP 250 occasion the week after the Davis Cup tie. He withdrew from the match hours earlier than his first-round conflict on September 19.
Yuki Bhambri, India’s finest doubles participant after Rohan Bopanna, remained unavailable for unknown causes. Mukund was suspended for 2 ties for opting out of the World Group I Play-Off in opposition to Pakistan.
Dhupar recommended that non-playing captain Rohit Rajpal made the hassle to incorporate him for the Sweden match regardless of the ban, offered he had made himself obtainable, however Mukund revealed in a social media put up that he had no clue concerning the ban within the first place.
Two weeks after that loss to Sweden, former Indian gamers Devvarman and Purav Raja filed a petition in opposition to AITA on the Delhi Excessive Court docket, accusing the federation of violating the Sports activities Code. The duo additionally requested the courtroom to cease AITA from holding elections.
Whereas the courtroom allowed the polls to go forward, it ordered that the outcomes couldn’t be declared and needed to be introduced in a sealed envelope. The case remains to be ongoing. The AITA has been unable to nurture the few promising singles gamers that the nation has produced over the past three a long time. It is a worrying development, since singles gamers do the majority of the work in a Davis Cup tie.
Quite the opposite, at instances it has come throughout as an anti-player federation with its administrative fashion. As a response, the gamers have been reluctant to hitch the Davis Cup staff.
In 2013, eight gamers, together with Mahesh Bhupathi, Devvarman and Bopanna, made themselves unavailable for the house tie in opposition to South Korea after revolting in opposition to the federation, demanding a greater coach, remuneration, involvement within the alternative of venue and a brand new non-playing captain instead of S.P. Misra.
An unsure future
For unknown causes, Nagal and Bhambri each missed the tie in opposition to Togo. Ramkumar and Mukund, who gained their singles ties in opposition to the Togolese, needed to be awarded main-draw wildcards for the Chennai Open ATP Challenger the next week since they might not make the lower on the idea of their rankings. Each misplaced within the first spherical.
With the uncertainty across the courtroom case in opposition to AITA and how much modifications it’s going to carry within the Indian tennis ecosystem, there isn’t a assure that issues will get any higher when the Indian Davis Cup staff is in motion in September.