Beset by injuries to singles players and ‘mistrust’ between the Rio-bound doubles players, India would expect young Ramkumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni to rise to the occasion when they face Korea in the Asia/Oceania Group I Davis Cup tie, starting here on Friday.
The 21-year-old Ramkumar will make his Davis Cup debut for the country as Yuki Bhambri and Somdev Devvarman are nursing injuries.
The Chennai lad’s game is full of energy, passion and sharp strokes, especially his forehand, but lack of consistency has not taken him far on the Tour. This is the moment for him to enhance his reputation by winning Davis Cup matches for the country.
He has won a few tough matches, lost a few close contests and is good enough to pull it off together with Myneni against the Koreans, who have landed without their best player, Hyeon Chung, ranked 107.
In his absence the best-ranked player in Korean camp is Seong-chan Hong, who is placed as low as 427 in the ATP singles list. Yong-Kyu Lim (626), Yunseong Chung (628) and Hong Chung (655) are the other players in the side.
This line-up is not likely to trouble India, who have far more experienced players in the squad. Expectations while representing the nation can create a lot of pressure in the head but both Ramkumar and Myneni have the chance to deliver now. They are not up against a formidable rival and have home advantage plus the fan support.
Davis Cup returns to grass courts in India for the first time since 2008.
The hosts have Rohan Bopanna and Leander Paes as the doubles pair for the tie.PTI
