Somdev Devvarman carries the hopes of a billion on his lean, sinewy frame. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi are aging warriors. They will soon be gone.
But Somdev is undaunted at the prospect of stepping into the boots of these stalwarts. He has etched his mark in the Davis Cup. The Guangzhou Asian Games saw him pick up a rich haul of three medals, two gold in singles and men’s doubles and a bronze in the team event. His singles gold at the CWG pales in comparison. The clinical manner in which the Indian demolished Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin 6-1, 6-2 augurs well for India’s Davis Cup aspirations.
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India’s chances of progressing further in the Davis Cup World Group were dealt a severe blow by an unkind draw.
India have to contend with top seeds Serbia in the first round to be played in the first week of March, next year.
The Serbs have Djokovic, Tipsarevic , Troicki and Ninad Zemonjic in their ranks.
The Indians can count on Paes and Bhupathi to win their doubles rubber but the other two points will have to come from Bopanna and Somdev Devvarman.
Somdev is capable of springing a surprise but the dice are heavily loaded in the Serbians’ favour.
This is the second and final instalment detailing the World Group at the Davis Cup.
Eight unseeded teams are pitted against the top eight teams.
The teams at the lower end of the spectrum, for the 2011 edition , in alphabetical order, are :
Austria, Belgium, Chile, Germany, India, Kazakhstan, Romania and Sweden.
What do these teams have to offer?
Can they cause any major upsets?
A peek at the teams and their crusaders!
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The draw for next year’s Davis Cup is scheduled to take place in Brussels on the 22nd of September, 2010.
Sixteen nations play the World Group of the Davis Cup every year, eight seeded and the other eight unseeded.
The two finalists of the previous year’s edition help form the two halves of the draw.
A quick look at the eight top teams in the World Group for Davis Cup 2011.
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Aided by the sultry Chennai weather, the Indian Davis Cup team scripted a famous come-from-behind victory at Chennai, outplaying Brazil in both the singles matches on Sunday, the 19th of September, 2010.
This time though, the victory was achieved in a thoroughly professional manner with the entire team carrying its weight.
Rohan Bopanna and Somdev Devvarman had their say. They have reassured Indian tennis fans that the country’s Davis Cup hopes are in secure hands for the foreseeable future.
Bellucci caved in to cramps and dehydration in the morning after just a set and a half. Somdev Devvarman was left feeling a little bemused but why look a gift horse in the mouth?
India take on Brazil on Friday the 17th of September , 2010 at Chennai on hard-courts in the Davis Cup World Group playoffs.
The first day’s play features two singles matches : Thomas Bellucci versus Rohan Bopanna & Somdev Devverman versus Ricardo Mello.
Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi take on Bruno Soares and Marcelo Melo on Saturday in a crucial doubles encounter.
The reverse singles will be played on Sunday.
Suffice to say, at least two singles matches will need to be clinched for India to progress to the next round.
The weight of Indian expectations rest on Somdev’s shoulders. Bopanna is not favoured to win either of his singles.
Can Somdev pull it off? The Indian tennis fraternity certainly hope so.
The Ton Is Here!
He’s done it! Finally!
Somdev Devvarman has cracked the top 100 on the ATP tour. Another milestone in his fledgling career.
He becomes just the second Indian male player in a decade or so to be ranked amongst the top 100. Leander Paes was the last Indian male to be ranked so, achieving that distinction in 1999.
Somdev’s rise to the list of centurions has not been meteoric; rather it has been steady but sure.
He is now ranked 96 in the world. However, he is unlikely to be perched there for too long; he was thwarted in his bid to defend last year’s accumulated points.More on that later.
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