Davis Cup: All you need to know about India vs Denmark tie
Davis Cup action will return to India for the first time since 2019 when they will host Denmark on Match 4 and 5 at Delhi’s Gymkhana Club.
The last time Delhi’s Gymkhana Club hosted the Davis Cup was in the winter of 1966 when India locked horns with West Germany. The Gymkhana club has 28 grass courts, only next to Wimbledon, which has 41 grass courts.
👀 #TeamDenmark en route 🇮🇳 #AITATennis 🇮🇳🎾 #INDvDEN #DavisCup pic.twitter.com/T3ET9JXyrC
— All India Tennis Association (@AITA__Tennis) February 27, 2022
The legend of Leander Paes grew in Davis Cup because he literally toyed with the European players with his incredible skill-set on grass courts during home ties. In the current generation, Yuki Bhambri and Ramkumar Ramanathan’s game is well-equipped to make life tough for rivals on grass.
The Indian team would look to exploit the home advantage and emerge victorious in the World Group I Play-off tie on March 4-5.
India travelled to Finland (2021), Croatia (2020) and Kazakhstan (2019, Pakan tie) for their last three ties.
India hosted Italy at home in February 2019 and lost 1-3 in Kolkata.
The last time India hosted a tie on grass courts was in July 2016, when it beat Korea 4-1 in Chandigarh but when it travelled to Italy in February 2019, the Indian team lost 1-3 on the same surface, against better grass-court players.
Interestingly, It will be the first tie between the two nations since September 1984 when India won 3-2 at Aarhus.
4️⃣ DAYS TO GO @aniljaindr shares his views on the importance of hosting this ‘India vs Denmark’ @daviscup tie in #India 🇮🇳 #AITATennis 🇮🇳🎾 #INDvDEN #DavisCup pic.twitter.com/ra9jJKxaUH
— All India Tennis Association (@AITA__Tennis) February 28, 2022
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The two teams have not clashed much as the only other time they played was in 1927 when Denmark whitewashed India 5-0 in the quarterfinal in Copenhagen.
Rohan Bopanna will be the most experienced player in the Indian squad. The former world number three and only the fourth Indian with a Grand Slam trophy is one of the best servers in the game today. None of the members of the current Indian team, which will be playing against Denmark are ranked inside the top-100. Ramkumar Ramanathan (177) is the highest-ranked Indian with compatriots Rohan Bopanna (213), Prajnesh Gunneswaran (232), Yuki Bhambri (662), Divij Sharan (1558) and reserves Saketh Myneni (602) and Digvijay Pratap Singh (non-ranked) way off the mark.
The 27-year-old Mikael Torpegaard is the best-ranked player in the Denmark team at 278.
Fans will be allowed
Indian tennis fans will be allowed to attend the Davis Cup tie between India and Denmark at the Delhi Gymkhana Club.
Spectators haven’t been allowed inside sporting venues in most cities since the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020. All major tournaments, including tennis events, were held in bio-bubbles under strict restrictions.
Announcing the development, the organising committee of the Davis Cup tie also revealed that tickets to the upcoming matches will be free.
“We are building a seating capacity of 3,800. There won’t be any priced tickets. All tickets will be complimentary on first cum first serve basis,” said Om Pathak, who is a Delhi Gymkhana Club adminrator and organising committee co-chairman.
