The Hindu : The court likely to play fast and true

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 04, 2003

Sport

Sport - Tennis

The court likely to play fast and true

By Kamesh Srinivasan

West Bengal Sports and Transportation Minister Subhas Chakraborty hands over the capsule containing the name of a player to the chief referee Nao Kawatei from Japan as AITA life president R.K. Khanna (centre) looks on during the draws for the Davis Cup group I second round at Kolkata on Thursday. — Photo: Sushanta Patronobish

KOLKATA APRIL 3. The centre court looked inviting, like a beautiful carpet. That was till the Kiwis put their feet on it to get a feel of it.

They were too quick to rub their eyes in disbelief and called the referee Nao Kawatei to point out the softness of the surface, on the eve of the Davis Cup Asia Oceania group `I' Davis Cup tie at the South Club on Thursday.

Minutes after the West Bengal Sports Minister, Mr Subhas Chakraborty, had drawn Leander Paes' name to play the first singles against the No.1 New Zealand player, Mark Nielsen, the Kiwis were eager to make the maximum of the time allotted to them for practice on the match surface.

Their grasscourt shoes literally brought the water out of the courts as they walked gingerly on it.

However, as the regulars at the club pointed out, it was a natural phenomenon, as the courts had not been played on for over a month.

"The court doesn't need any more water. I am sure with so much sun it will settle down and play fast and true. These people have hosted many Davis Cup ties here and know what they are doing. The conditions are equal to both the teams and we can't complain much," said the captain of the New Zealand team Glenn Wilson.

Even at the draw ceremony, the Indian ace, Leander Paes, had said that the conditions here were in total contrast to what it was when India played New Zealand in Wellington around the same time last year.

"It was windy and bitterly cold there. It is hot and humid here. That is what it is about taking advantage of the familiar home conditions in Davis Cup," said Leander.

Captain Ramesh Krishnan was happy that Leander would start the tie as it would also help him recover better for his doubles and the subsequent fifth rubber on the third day.

"I am eager to play the first match. It is my favourite court, and plays exactly the way I like. These are the best grasscourts in Asia, and I am tempted to compare them with Wimbledon. We are not going to make the mistake of underestimating our opponents, but we do have a chance to win both the matches tomorrow," said Leander.

If he settles into his rhythm quickly on the morrow, Leander may not give much room for a fight for Nielsen, who has not had a great year in singles so far despite having a good all-round game. He did beat the 55th ranked Andreas Vinciguerra of Sweden in the Heineken Open in Auckland last year, but needs to be at his sharpest best to test Leander, who can be more than a handful for anybody on his day.

In fact, the Kiwis were lucky that the ITF shifted the match against Pakistan to Hamilton, when it was Pakistan's turn to host the first round tie in February. Otherwise, Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and company may themselves have proved a handful for the Kiwis.

It is no secret that the tall and strongly built New Zealanders are not that comfortable on grass, and lack the flexibility to excel on the surface though it may appear that their big serves are tailor-made to suit the demands of the situation.

In such a scenario, it will be another fine opportunity for the young Rohan Bopanna to emphasise that he is blossoming into a quality player, trying to fulfil his potential.

"I was prepared to play both, the first or the second match," said Bopanna, quite relaxed and confident that he would be able to play his game.

"The good thing about Bopanna is that he quite aggressive and goes for it. That is a very good trait. Leander is in good shape and in fine form. It has been a tremendous effort by him to shoulder the team for 15 years," observed the former captain of the Indian team, Naresh Kumar.

It can be a lively match when Bopanna takes on the 30-year-old part-time pro Alistair Hunt, who is busier as a coach these days. The court may play fast and bounce well in the afternoon, making room for a cracker of a contest between two big servers, who may go for broke in their bid to overwhelm each other.

Nielsen had stretched Leander to five sets the last time the two met, and said that he would take it as a challenge and try to play his best.

"I am younger than him. Maybe, I can pull through," said the 25-year-old Nielsen.

"I have seen him (Bopanna) play. I will play my game and see how it goes," said Hunt.

Captain Wilson said that there could be three different results 0-2, 1-1, 2-0 on day one and that he would decide about his doubles by Friday afternoon though he had nominated Nielsen and Hunt to do duty on all three days.

"Nielsen has been playing the first rubber for us in so many ties that we were sure he would play the first match here also. There was no need for the draw," said Wilson in good humour.

New Zealand beat India in the first three meetings between the two teams, in 1975, 1976 and 1978. Two of those ties were held in Lucknow and Delhi. It required a brave effort from Leander against tough conditions to change the trend last year in Wellington. It will be up to him once again to provide the momentum and help the host maintain its good record on grass.

"Everything looks beautiful. We are just about getting used to the surroundings. Whatever work was needed to be done in preparation has hopefully been done by yesterday itself. We are not worried much about the court or anything now," said Ramesh, with his patented bright smile.

Maybe, the Indian captain will have a bigger smile on his face on Friday evening. Tune to the `live' coverage on Doordarshan to catch a glimpse of how things unfold.

The draw

April 4, 10 a.m.: Leander Paes vs. Mark Nielsen; Rohan Bopanna vs. Alistair Hunt.

April 5, 12 noon: Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi vs. Mark Nielsen and Alistair Hunt.

April 6, 10 a.m.: Rohan Bopanna vs. Mark Nielsen; Leander Paes vs. Alistair Hunt.

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