From Weakness To Weakness

Notwithstanding the tremendous cold in South Korea, India’s performance in the Davis Cup against the host country has been below par. The inspirational way in which Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati used to perform in the Davis Cup singles ties in the 1990s, is not being emulated by the young guns like Prakash Amritraj and Rohan Bopanna. In the late1980s when Ramesh Krishnan and the Amritraj brothers were going strong, Zeeshan Ali and Gaurav Natekar provided able support, till Paes, and later, Bhupathi, took Indian men’s tennis to the next level of glory, not only by means of their ATP Tour exploits, but also by their powerhouse performances representing India at the Davis Cup. But the next generation is struggling to step up the gas to succeed at the highest level. Prahlad Srinath and Syed Fazluddin flattered to deceive. The likes of Junior Amritraj, Rohan Bopanna and Harsh Mankad have had enough opportunities to prove their mettle, but apart from the odd flares of their talent, they have been leaving Indian fans in the cold, and their hopes buried in heaps of shame.