Tamil Nadu players hope for inclusion in Davis Cup team

The six-member squad includes Yuki Bhambri, Ramkumar Ramanathan, Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna along with the two new TN stars. The team will have two singles players and two doubles players and will be chosen in a fortnight’s time. The tie against Uzbekistan will also be Mahesh Bhupathi’s first tie as a non-playing captain.

The All India Tennis Association (AITA) had earlier stated that the rationale behind the selection of Paes and Bopanna, who have been at loggerheads, is that they are India’s highest ranked doubles players. 

Balaji had earlier been included in the Davis Cup reserves five years back for a tie against New Zealand but couldn’t make the cut. The TN youngster said it was just the first step in what would be a dream come true. “I am now looking forward to be in the final team. It has taken years of hard work to be here and I am now focussing on what needs to be done to get to the final goal,” Balaji told DTNext. 

The 27-year-old said he isn’t trying anything new to get noticed better. “I am happy with the way it is going now. I am at the back of an impressive performance in tournaments over the last three weeks and now it is all about getting the basics right and sticking to them,” he added. 

For Prajnesh, the inclusion comes as a motivation to represent India often. “I have always wanted to represent the country. “It is something (playing for India) that I wanted to achieve. It is a first step in a longterm goal plan and I hope the icing on the cake would be inclusion in the team and winning a match.”

Prajnesh, who worked with Somdev Devvarman during the Chennai Open earlier this year, is keen on addressing the small issues plaguing his game. “I am improving by the day by working with Bastian Suwanprateep from the Schuttler Waske Academy in Germany. We have identified the finer points and I am now good to go on the big stage,” the Chennai player added.