Davis Cup | My boys will not be intimidated by Italy, claims Mahesh Bhupathi
Mahesh Bhupathi has claimed that his young team will not be intimidated by European giants Italy whom they face in their Davis Cup qualifiers next month. India opted for grass courts in South Club for the February fixtures which will see the winners play in the 18-nation finals in Madrid next year.
The Indian Davis Cup team are gearing up for a tough challenge in the form of European giants Italy next month. Non-playing captain Mahesh Bhupathi declared on Wednesday that his players will not be intimidated by their European opponents in the Davis Cup Qualifiers.
"Nothing can be taken for granted. We are underdogs but my boys will not be intimidated. I feel we have a better chance.
"I think my boys are experienced enough that when Davis Cup comes into play ranking is not really a factor. They have all played at the highest level now, both Ramkumar (Ramanathan) and Prajnesh (Gunneswaran) have played Grand Slams and Tour events," the 44-year-old the multiple Grand Slam champion in doubles told PTI sources.
Knowing that the Italians are weak on grass, India have chosen to play on grass courts in South Club for the February 1-2 fixtures which will be played in a new format. The winners of the qualifiers will make a cut to the 18-nation finals in Madrid next year.
"When I was playing Davis Cup, if I played a top ranked player, it was different for me because I was always competing at the challenger level. But with these guys, I don't think ranking plays a factor. I think they actually truly believe that they are capable of beating them (the opposition) if they play well," Bhupathi added.
The Indian Davis’ Cup member also lavished praise on India number one and world ranked 109 Prajnesh Gunneswaran who has improved 200 ranking places in two years. Bhupathi also termed world number 131 Ramkumar Ramanathan as "super dangerous".
"Prajnesh qualified for his first Grand Slam (Australian Open) so he's on an all time high, confidence wise. He's had an amazing breakthrough year last year. He's a late bloomer because of injury but he's definitely brimming with confidence. It's definitely an advantage to have a quality left-hander on your team. We've never had that ever as far as I can remember. Two years ago when we brought him in, there was a strategic reason for that. It wasn't because at that time he was ranked 350, but we wanted a lefty and it worked for us.
"On these courts, Ram is going to be super dangerous. We all saw what he did in Newport last year, he made the final and he should have won the title. So we're positive," Bhupathi added.
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