Davis Cup: India well-placed to beat Canada and qualify for World Group, says Anand Amritraj

Chennai: Former Davis Cup captain Anand Amritraj believes drawing Canada in the play-offs presents India a golden chance to make it to the World Group in next year’s tournament.

The Indian team beat Uzbekistan in Asia-Oceania zonal match in Bengaluru recently and was drawn to meet Canada for a spot in the elite group of the 2018 Davis Cup.

Speaking at the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association annual day function here yesterday, Amritraj said in his opinion Canada was the best team to draw from among the eight which had lost in the first round of this year’s competition.

“This is our golden chance. If we are going to get into the World Group, this is the year we have to do it,” he said.

Amritraj said if Canada didn’t have their top player Milos Raonic playing, India stood a good chance of winning, the best in the last four years.

Raonic recently pulled out of the Miami Open after aggravating a right hamstring injury that sidelined him for nearly a month. He had earlier withdrawn from Canada’s Davis Cup World Group tie against Britain after a nagging adductor injury flared up during his recent Australian Open run.

Meanwhile, Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan, who won the doubles title at the Aircel Chennai Open earlier this year along with Rohan Bopanna, was chosen for the TK Ramanathan annual award for 2016, for the best player of the year.