Spectators cheer during Davis Cup World Group Play-off in match between India’s Ramkumar Ramanathan and Spain’s Feliciano Lopez at RK Khanna Tennis Stadium in New Delhi on Sept 16, 2016.
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Rafael Nadal is still recovering from a wrist injury which led to his pulling out of the opening singles tie at the last minute today, according to Spain teammate Feliciano Lopez who exuded confidence that the multiple Grand Slam victor may turn up for the doubles in the Davis Cup World Group play-off against India here tomorrow.
Having pulled out of the opening Davis Cup singles rubber on Friday, owing to a stomach bug or wrist problem – depending on who in the Spain camp you listen to – Nadal made sure he would give the Indian fans a chance to watch him in action in New Delhi by turning up for the doubles.
Ramkumar, despite his limitations against a much-superior rival, fought his heart out in a 4-6 4-6 6-3 1-6 defeat to world number 26 Feliciano Lopez in the first match.
“At the end we got our reward to be in the World Group, which was what we wanted and what we were playing for”, Martinez said. “It’s been quite a while now since we’ve had an opportunity to play in a final and I know from experience I’d love these boys to have that experience of going out there and playing for Australia”.
All that the Indian could do was fight hard which he did as an upset from him was not expected.
“Marc Lopez played four intense sets yesterday”.
The match began with high quality service games and with Nadal, Myneni and Lopez not losing a single point.
The subsequent games went with the serve before the Spaniards threatened to take another break off Myneni’s serve in the ninth game.
“In Davis Cup doubles there is always a lot of ups and downs and it was a typical doubles match”. They will face an Indian combination comprising of the veteran Leander Paes and Myneni.
A charged up Indians broke Lopez straightaway in the second game of the second set to nose ahead before Myneni dropped his serve in the tenth game.
Nadal and Lopez, who won the doubles gold at the recent Rio Olympics, helped Spain take an unassailable 3-0 lead to enter the elite group after a two-year gap.
Sensing that the Indian lad was hurting, Lopez came storming back from 0-2 down with successive breaks in the fourth, sixth and eighth games to take a 5-3 lead and serve the rubber out. The second set was the longest where the result came out in a tie breaker with Spain winning it by 6-2.
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“We lost a couple of confrontations that we believed we were the favourites (for) and we were in a good position to win, so maximum respect for all opponents, for India”.
