Davis Cup 2020- India

[PKBasu]

A bit ridiculous that Pakistan is through with the oldies playing on grass courts! Anyway, they can't pull that on us, because our players will beat them on grass, but the Europeans know nothing about grass courts any longer.

[RohitG]

The original dates of play were washed out due to rain and Kavcic is 33. Add to it playing at home and on grass, they give themselves a chance. Credit where it's due though. Both their players play best when they play for their nation. If we draw them again this year.. it will be a home tie for us. However that will depend on whether they would be willing to travel here, good chances that they can try to hit back for last year's events, asking for a neutral venue themselves. Add to it the uncertainty of the virus. The draw will be out by end of this week.

[sameerph]

New davis cup rakings came out now and these should be top 12 seeds based on that in world group 1 matches in September - Belgium, Sweeden,Argentina,Japan,Netherlands,India, Uzbekistan,Brazil,Korea,Portugal,Bosnia and Herzgovania and Israel.

So, we will not meet any of those seeded nations. We will meet one of these -

Slovakia Belarus,Uruguay,Ukraine,Bolivia,Finland,Lebanon,New Zeland,Peru,Norway,Romania or Pakistan.

Out of these only 4 nations we have met before. So, based on last ties, if it Lebanon,Pakistan or Romania it will be at home, New Zeland will be away, against all others venues will be decided by spin of coin.

[arjun2761]

Looks like Pakistan's two 100 year olds (Aisam and Aqeel) helped them beat Slovenia on grass and will now play at the same stage as India!

[suresh]

Looks like Pakistan's two 100 year olds (Aisam and Aqeel) helped them beat Slovenia on grass and will now play at the same stage as India!

I guess Slovenian players think that "Grass is for cows".

[sameerph]

Group 1 draw is out. We play Finland in Finland.

Finland has talented 20 year old talented Emil Ruusuvuori ranked 101 but second singles is ranked 422.

It has one top 30 doubles player in Henri Continen. So, it will be tough fight on their home courts.

[arjun2761]

We'll have to win the doubles to win this tie. Ruusuvori will be hard to beat at home.

[PKBasu]

This is an eminently winnable tie, even if it is in Finland. As long as we have a couple of fit singles players, we should beat Finland quite comfortably.

Ruusuvuori did beat Ramkumar in a 3-setter (RamK winning the first set) in the Canberra Challenger this year. But I don't think he will be able to withstand the pressure to beat the likes of Prajnesh and Sumit (or Yuki) AND play doubles.

[jayakris]

Our next tie is postponed to 2021 -- India's Davis Cup tie against Finland postponed to 2021

[PKBasu]

The pandemic is having enormous consequences for sport. The India-Finland Davis Cup tie (originally scheduled for September 2020) will now be in March or September 2021. I think we are solid favourites to win that tie, but the sooner it is played the better (for sport, but perhaps not for health ).

[Atithee]

Not Davis cup related, but England and WI are playing a cricket series. WI won the first test and are struggling to save the second test.

[sameerph]

This is not really related to 2020 davis cup but excellent write-up by Deepti Patwardhan on India's decision to boycott davis cup final against South Africa and their matches before and after that tie-

Walkover

[jayakris]

^^^ Yes, I remember that. All of 11 years but I had just started reading about Vijay Amritraj, and also thought of becoming a big fan of Shasi Menon (only because of his last name, as he is from the same Malayali caste as I am - Nairs)... My dad told me that it was the world cup of tennis. I just did not understand what racism was, though. Just had no idea how people in South Africa could be so unfair to a large part of the population there. But it sounded right for India to do.

When I got my first Indian passport, much later in 1985 to come to the US , it had a stamp on the last page - "Eligible for travel to all countries except the republic of South Africa".

[Rajiv]

The late Vilas Menon, one of the greatest Indian Table Tennis player was also a cousin of Shashi Menon.

[sameerph]

So, Sumit does pull out of davis Cup tie citing fitness reason.

https://www.news18.com/news/sports/sumi ... 41889.html