Czech team to come full strength, India need miracle: Bhupathi

Image
Press Trust of India New Delhi
Last Updated : Aug 01 2015 | 3:57 PM IST
The Indian Davis Cup team needs to pull off a miracle of sorts if it has to advance to the elite World Group, says Mahesh Bhupathi as the veteran doubles exponent revealed that Czech Republic will field a full strength team in the next month's Play-off tie, here.
World number six Tomas Berdych and multiple Grand Slam winner Radek Stepanek had skipped their last tie against Australia but Bhupathi, who is in touch with Tour players, says they will play against India.
"Unfortunately, I have got a message from Tomas Berdych last evening asking about hotel details. So they are coming with full strength team. So it's gonna be hard," Bhupathi told reporters on the sidelines of an IPTL event here.
The three-time Champions (2013, 2012, 1980) have not official named the team as yet.
Bhupathi said there would be no such thing as home advantage when you play against players of the caliber of Berdych and Stepanek.
"Czech Republic have won two titles of the last four years, so it's going to be very tough match. We are playing Radek Stepanek and Tomas Berdych, so our guys need to pull off a miracle to have a shot," he said.
"But never say never in Davis Cup. We will put up a good fight I am sure," he added.
The World Group Play-off tie will be held at R K Khanna Tennis stadium from September 18-20.
Talking about junior Wimbledon doubles champion Sumit Nagal, who trains in Germany with Bhupathi's support, he said," For Sumit it's lot of confidence wining the junior Wimbledon doubles. The transition from junior to senior is about taking 200 steps and he has to do it one by one. Next three four years are going to be defining for him. We will try to give as much support as possible.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Aug 01 2015 | 3:57 PM IST

Next Story