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In hindsight, coach Amritraj sees logic of evening matches in Davis Cup
Last week, India’s non-playing captain Anand Amritraj felt the team should have hosted Spain in the hot and humid afternoon instead of cooler evenings.
Last week, India’s non-playing captain Anand Amritraj seemed miffed that neither the players nor he were consulted about the timing of matches, and felt the team should have hosted firm favourites Spain in the hot and humid afternoon instead of cooler evenings.
Thanks to hindsight, and an undecided doubles combination, Amritraj seems to have come around.
“After the last three days, I have changed my mind,” said Amritraj at Tuesday’s pre-draw press conference. “Now we don’t have Rohan (Bopanna) to play doubles. Saketh (Myneni) has to be ready to play two matches in two days. If the match had started at 10 in the morning, it would have been a lot tougher. Five in the evening, in hindsight, looks like a good option.”
September evenings in the Capital are definitely milder by a few degrees, but the humidity remains upwards of 60 per cent for most part of the day. Myneni, who has had a history of spasms and cramps thanks to an ungodly sweat rate, remained cautious.
“Physically, I’ve been doing much better,” said Myneni, who played four matches in five days at the Flushing Meadows earlier this month. “Heat has never been the problem for me, its humidity. It wasn’t easier at the US Open either and the conditions here are similar.”
“I’m still worried about the fitness issues,” Amritraj was quick to add. “Just because the sun is not beating down doesn’t mean it’s not humid out there. It’s not going to be easy not just for us but for the Spanish guys as well, even though they are used to tough conditions.”
In fact, Amritraj had a candid assessment of the Spanish squad, in particular Feliciano Lopez. “When I saw them in the morning they looked like they were half dead,” said Amritraj. “I’m sure they aren’t.”
Spain captain Conchita Martinez admitted the “conditions are humid and quite hot. It’s good that we are playing at a time when the heat goes down”.
Would afternoon matches been a tougher challenge for the visitors?
“These players play on the Tour the whole year,” Conchita said matter-of-factly. “They have played in Australia, US Open and Cincinnati. They’d have been ready for any challenge.”
With the advantage of home conditions somewhat nullified, the Spanish armada looks even stronger. But Rafael Nadal noted that the tie was far from a foregone conclusion.
“In Davis Cup, special things can happen. You compete against players in front of their home crowd and conditions they choose. We have lost matches we should have won and that’s why we have maximum respect for all opponents.”
