It’s love all

These new kids on the Davis Cup block need to be groomed. Paes plans to have a team of eight youngsters for future India games and that would mean a gradual shift towards the 20-somethings and slow phasing out of those nearing the 30s. With Paes at the centre, Indian tennis plans a revival to bring the game back on track.

Despite the one-sided contest, those at Namangan talk about the new bonding in the team that certainly seemed missing during the confusion surrounding Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi at the Asian Games in Doha. Post the Games, there was another tricky problem that Indian tennis faced. With second-string star Rohan Bopanna opting to concentrate on the pro circuit, that old debate started: Do the present day players fancy playing on the Tour more than turning out for the country?

Bopanna’s decision to skip the Davis Cup tie and play on the Tour came as a shock. It may be recalled that the country’s top-ranked player had missed out on the Chennai Open to play the Hopman Cup in Perth. So what happened this time? “I opted out of the Davis Cup because I got through the main draw in doubles at Delray Beach. It’s a big tour event and such opportunities don’t come everyday, given my ranking. I lost 120 points in Chennai (Bopanna made the doubles finals in the Chennai Open last year) because of which my ranking slumped to 170. So I didn’t want to miss the opportunity of playing in such a big event. Besides, these things happen everywhere. All over the world, players skip Davis Cup ties to play tournaments.”

But there have been pointers that this isn’t merely about the usual hectic schedule that international players usually complain about. Disparity in financial incentive too is an issue. Bopanna refuses to dwell on the issue as he says, “Let these things remain between the federation and the players.”

All India Tennis Association (AITA) secretary Anil Khanna, though, made his views clear. “I understand Rohan’s decision, but not playing on the Tour for one week does not make a huge difference. The AITA has also helped him out as far as his tennis is concerned — he got a good opportunity to play against the best in the Hopman Cup.”

The chairman of the national selection committee Shyam Minotra also echoed Khanna’s words. “I feel it’s wrong for a player to skip national duty and play on the Tour,” he said. Selector and former Davis Cupper Akhtar Ali went further ahead, saying: “Even if Rohan had been there, we wouldn’t have won. We Indians don’t fancy clay much.”

Mahesh Bhupathi reportedly made himself unavailable for national duty, and Bopanna too opted out. And with Prakash Amritraj troubled with injuries and Harsh Mankad waiting for his Green Card, hopes in Uzbekistan rested on the Young Turks and, of course, Paes.

Though the loss to Uzbekistan isn’t a crisis situation, given the strength of the opponents, but the trip to Namangan was an important exposure trip for the boys who in the years to come will try to take India in the World Group again.

One of them happens to be Rastogi, who had this to say about the trip. “It was a little disappointing to lose my reverse singles match after getting into a position to win. (Rastogi lost 6-7 (2-7), 5-7, 1-6 to Denis Istomin). Leander never put any pressure on us to win. He was obviously disappointed that I couldn’t pull off the reverse singles despite the chances. But overall I learnt a lot.”

Khanna, though, sounded happy with the way the debutants played. “Our youngsters played well in a tough situation against difficult opponents. Vivek and Karan were good in their reverse singles matches,” he said.

India next play Kazakhstan in a play-off tie to stay in Group I. If they fail to win the April 6-8 away tie, relegation will be just one defeat away.

Listening to Khanna talk about the Kazakhstan tie, it becomes clear about the All India Tennis Association’s future plans. “I want total commitment from my players. Personal rankings are definitely important, but so is playing for the country. I’m yet to speak to Rohan about his status for the next tie. Prakash is definitely not out of the picture as far as the Davis Cup is concerned. I was speaking to Vijay (Amritraj), and it doesn’t look like he would be able to play till April. Having him back though would be a boost. The selection committee will probably decide next month on the composition of the team. Vivek defeated Kazakhstan’s number one player, Alexey Kedriouk, at the ITF Futures in Delhi recently, so he definitely stands a chance.

“Paes will definitely be in the squad, and he showed how great he is when it comes to playing for the country. In Uzbekistan, he won the doubles with Sunil even though they were playing together for the first time. He told me he intends to be like Martina Navratilova — he says, if she can continue for so long, why can’t I?”

But the road ahead is tough as Minotra reveals. “Even in Kazakhstan, they would most likely choose clay as the surface. It’s not going to be easy again. And, if we fail to win there, the relegation play-off will also be no cakewalk as we are likely to face Korea or China. It’s a rough couple of years for us now. Either these players have to step up to the big occasion or we’ll have to groom the others players in the pool like Sanam Singh and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan. A lot of work needs to be done.”

The chairman of selectors informed that the AITA is now planning to rope in a foreign trainer before the tie against Kazakhstan. “We need someone to keep the boys fit and strong. The foreign trainer will travel with the team throughout the year,” he said.

Khanna, though, thinks it’s a matter of time before the youngsters step up to the next level. “We are pushing these guys now. We now have a new coach in Sandeep Kirtane to travel with the boys, few changes are being made in the selection committee as well, and we are also planning to appoint a development director who will oversee things. So things are moving in the right direction,” says Khanna.

Kirtane too has seen some positive signs. “A lot of people were not too sure of whether things would run smoothly after what happened in Doha. But we bonded very well in Uzbekistan. Everyone had a specific role to perform. We had similar views on almost everything.

It helps when every member in the team is thinking on the same lines. These young boys have the potential, they have the hunger. Playing away from home is not the ideal situation to make your debut. But the boys showed a lot of character. Everyone needs to understand that it’s not easy to fill in Leander’s and Mahesh’s shoes. Give them 2-3 years to mature,” says Kirtane. Indian tennis once again finds itself at the crossroads and it will be interesting to see if it takes the right turn.