Bengaluru: Having been promoted as the spearhead following the withdrawal of Yuki Bhambri from the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group-I tie against Uzbekistan, Ramkumar Ramanathan believes an aggressive approach will be key to India’s fortunes.
This will be the Chennai-born star’s fourth Davis Cup and despite the lack of a big numbers in the tournament behind his back, Ramkumar is not flustered by the responsibility.
“There’s always pressure to play any Davis Cup. It’s always going to be tough to start but it is very important. We need to play a lot of sets (in practice) and get a little sharp before the tie,” said the 267-ranked Ramkumar on Monday.
“The courts are really fast so the matches can change very fast. We need to be very alert and play aggressive,” he added. Asked about the opposition, he minced no words.
“Whoever comes or not (Denis Istomin is yet to arrive) it’s going to be tough. Sanjar Fayziev is good and of course (Farrukh) Dustov is a very experienced player. I haven’t played any of them. I’ve seen Fayziev on tour. He’s a very quick and good player,” he stressed.
Ramkumar and his state-mates, Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Sriram Balaji, make the bulk of the team and for the former, there is comfort in the known. Add to the fact that he and Balaji can potentially play in the doubles tie, separately or the less likely option of together, it just adds another layer to the equation.
“Prajnesh is a great player and Bala plays great doubles. When I played with him in Chennai, he took control. With Bala, I did National Games together (as well). We know each other pretty well. It’s always good to be together,” remarked the 22-year-old.
“It’s a team event and you have all your players, so they push you a lot. Staying focussed is easier with so many people supporting you from the outside.”
‘Captain is very important’
He also had good words for the new captain Mahesh Bhupathi despite only playing under him for one day. “I think it’s going to be good. The captain is very important. Mahesh has played a lot of ties. He knows exactly what to do on-court and off-court. So I think it will help us,” he opined.
Meanwhile, the lanky star has been on a personal mission to improve his fitness and game. “I’ve been working a lot on injury prevention. Because I’ve been playing tournaments, I’ve not been able to push myself on fitness. Whenever I lose early in tournaments, I work on upper body strength for a day at least,” he remarked while adding that he has been concentrating on his backhand.
“I have to improve my backhand which I’ve been working a lot on. These courts will help me play more aggressive. You need to use your legs a lot here otherwise the ball will fly,” he claimed.
Meanwhile, Leander Paes, who won the Challenger doubles final with Adil Shamasdin in Leon, is expected to join the team on Tuesday but it remains to be seen if he will get the nod ahead of Rohan Boppanna.
