Davis Cup 2017 - India

[bujilover]

I think our boys should get a chance to travel to these different countries just for the exposure at least. Playing JMDP and Monaco and such guys (even if they not participate) would be a different lesson altogether.

[Prashant]

I don't know how much "experiential benefit" comes from being slaughtered. A tough loss, sure, but a total annihilation not so much.

I'm hoping for either Japan or possibly Canada at home if Raonic doesn't play...

[bujilover]

I don't know how much "experiential benefit" comes from being slaughtered. A tough loss, sure, but a total annihilation not so much.

I'm hoping for either Japan or possibly Canada at home if Raonic doesn't play...

According to me,it doesn't really prove anything for a team to just take advantage of a depleted foreign team by winning home ties(except for the records,status and the rankings). As someone mentioned, until unless we have a couple of regular top-100 ATP players in us, there is no point in chasing the WG dream. A fit Yuki & Saki is the answer.

[Varma]

It also depends on who we have in the team. Prajnesh, and Balaji aren't any serious long term prospects. By just having "DC experience" they may not reap us any long terms benefits as, say - a RamK, Yuki, Sumit, or Saki would in the long run. Too bad that Yuki and Saki spend more time in rehab than on court. Just hoping that Sumit's shoulder injury is not as serious as Somdev's. With all that said, it is highly impressive to see RamK play week-in week-out and still manage to stay healthy. Either he is doing a lot of things right, or his DNA is too damn good. As much brickbats we throw at this guy for his weird training methods (at least in the past), other players should take a closer look at how he takes care of his body and emulate that to get better at preventing injuries. This guy seems to have mastered that art.

- Varma

[PKBasu]

Absolutely true about RamK's fitness to-date. He's had remarkably few injuries.

[PKBasu]

Let us hope we get to play Japan or Russia at home. We can then choose a really hot and humid location (Chennai, where Dean Jones suffered during the second Tied Test in September 1986, comes immediately to mind), and see how the Japanese or Russian players cope. Of course, we will need Yuki and Saketh to be fully fit in order to compete effectively in the heat and humidity over five sets.

[subodhv]

India to play Canada in away tie.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/tennis/da ... f7SjP.html

[Florian Buechting]

Having a home tie would just be too much of luck... Could be an interesting matchup, depending on the city and group they are playing on... The last time, they shot the referee

Might be the last tie with old Daviscup rules

[Omkara]

Yuki posted a video. Looks ok

[Prashant]

Any of the US based people here interested in going to the tie vs Canada? I know the location isn't announced yet, but the dates are September 15-17. PM me if you're interested & we can try to plan together...

[sameerph]

This is a tough match up for us but considering that most of the other match ups would have been even tougher this is a fair draw for us. If Raonic does not play, we may have a chance of pulling off at least some match wins.

[Florian Buechting]

Any of the US based people here interested in going to the tie vs Canada? I know the location isn't announced yet, but the dates are September 15-17. PM me if you're interested & we can try to plan together...

I am not US-based ... But I would definitely think of going there if it is an East Coast tie, especially Greater Toronto. Wanted to find an opportunity to be back in the city anyway - and it may be the last best-of-five Daviscup tie... The more North and/or West they will play, the less possible it is for me to come over unfortunately.

[knarayen]

Any of the US based people here interested in going to the tie vs Canada? I know the location isn't announced yet, but the dates are September 15-17. PM me if you're interested & we can try to plan together...

Count me in. I may have to block that week off completely.

[gbelday]

Any of the US based people here interested in going to the tie vs Canada? I know the location isn't announced yet, but the dates are September 15-17. PM me if you're interested & we can try to plan together...

I would be interested too.

[knarayen]

Hi all,

The recently concluded matches in Davis Cup 2017 has, in my view, started a new trend in Davis Cup Tennis. I feel that the era of the specialist doubles team is over. Let me explain.

Australia in the 50's and 60's of the previous century dominated Davis Cup Tennis. In those years, top singles players on the Australian DC teams also dominated as doubles top-tenners. For example, Laver/Emerson had a record number of singles titles, and very formidable as a pair. Newcombe/Roche were cut from the same cloth. This gave Harry Hopman incredible flexibility, and power, in choosing his team for a particular tie. Hopman was so revered, and powerful, that his mere presence on courtside motivated his team to no end, to produce the best tennis they could for that tie.

Sometime in the late 70's and early 80's, the doubles specialist was born. The Fleming/McEnroe pairing was the last one where a top singles player paired with a not-so-top doubles specialist. This trend continued with the Paes/Bhupathi combos, and several such combos that prevailed through the 80s, 90s and into the 21st century. But with a change to a new format, I think we will now see the rise of a single specialist doubles player, and the addition of a pinch-hitting doubles player from the singles ranks. This will give the DC captain more flexibility in dealing with difficult situations during a tie.

What goes around comes around - eventually, maybe within the next 10-year period, we will see the return to the 60's era, where a set of seasoned, accomplished singles and doubles combos may arise. I could be wrong. Thoughts welcome.

Prof