Davis Cup | Yuki Bhambri and Divij Sharan to miss tie against Serbia due to injuries

09/05/2018

Yuki Bhambri and Divij Sharan will not be a part of the Indian team to play the Davis Cup World Group play-off tie against Serbia due to injuries, while Sumit Nagal has refused to join as the stand-by. Sharath suffered a shoulder injury while Bhambri suffered a knee injury at the US open.

Yuki Bhambri yet again failed to clear the first round hurdle of a Grand Slam losing to Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert in straight sets at the US Open. Not only did Bhambri lost the match but he also suffered a knee injury that flared up during the match. This led Bhambri to pull out of the Davis Cup tie against Serbia. Saketh Myneni, who was earlier a reserve for team India, shall be replacing Bhambri.

Divij Sharan, who won the men's doubles gold along with Rohan Bopanna at the Asian Games, is suffering from a shoulder injury due to which even he won't be able to participate at this mega event. While N Sriram Balaji will replace Sharan, Arjun Kadhe from Pune will join the team as the reserve player for the tie that is scheduled between 14th to 16th September 2018.

"They have pulled out due to injuries. Divij had undergone an MRI in the US and he said it revealed a minor tear which will require at least three weeks to heal. Yuki also has a knee issue," AITA selection committee chairman S P Misra told PTI.

Misra also mentioned that AITA approached Sumit Nagal to replace Yuki Bhambri but he refused the opportunity.

"We asked him to come as a replacement for Yuki but he said he would prefer playing Challengers," Misra said.

AITA secretary Hironmoy Chatterjee mentioned the federation was surprised by Nagal’s decision and will think about his future inclusion in the team.

“He said Ramkumar and Prajnesh will play singles matches and he has to come as a stand-by, so he would play Challengers. He said if he is needed, he will join but we do not pick players on conditions. We have told him, he will not be considered for this tie. For future ties, we will discuss, if he will be considered or not,” he said.

Indian tennis team skipper Mahesh Bhupathi has stated that team India will try its best to perform to the best of their ability, irrespective of who plays in the team.

"We will go and try our best to be competitive as always. I never have a view on Nagal’s refusal to be honest,” he said.