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Delhi rain leaves teams sweating over humidity ahead of Davis Cup tie
A lot has been said about the role Delhi’s weather is going to play in the India-Spain Davis Cup tie starting on Friday. And while the night matches have taken care of the heat, the humidity’s set to take a toll on the players.
Nothing could sum up the playing conditions at the DLTA centre court better than the old adage, “it’s not the heat. It’s the humidity.”
A lot has been said about the role Delhi’s weather is going to play in the India-Spain Davis Cup tie starting on Friday. And while the night matches have taken care of the heat, the humidity’s set to take a toll on the players.
To make matters worse, for the third time running, rain gods have decided to make his presence felt before India’s Davis Cup outing. On Wednesday, skies opened up at around 4:15pm, cutting short India’s practice session and postponing Spain’s by an hour.
The day had been sapping to begin with, as the humidity hovered in the 70s. The downpour took it to 91 %. One can only imagine how much worse it would be on the court, when one is sweating while sitting on the sidelines.
It is to the Spanish team’s credit that Rafael Nadal and Co managed to squeeze in 90 minutes of practice using a rotation-based point system.
While conditions are far from ideal for both teams, the hosts are in a spot of bother. It might take five sets in this cauldron-like setting to tame a Spaniard, and Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan will have to sweat it out for every point.
The scenario’s complete opposite to what Myneni wished for on Tuesday, when the 28-year-old said, “Heat has never been the problem for me, it’s humidity.”
As for the elder statesman of the team, Leander Paes will play his game come rain or shine. Last to join the team for the evening session, the 43-year-old stayed for well over ten minutes in the heavy rain, sending down serves, and left only after being prompted by the trainers.
Once it stopped pouring, the organisers dried up the court in double-quick time with sponge rollers and towels -- something which might not have been possible at the Chandigarh grass court. But with the odds stacked against them, the hosts must hope the possibility of showers over the weekend remains just that.
