Playing six sets in a day can be sapping even to the world’s best players. Vishnu Vardhan learnt it the hard way at the CLTA court on Saturday, says a report in The DNA,adding that but he had some help. Fellow partner Divij Sharan, sensing Vardhan’s unease, shouldered the responsibility in the fifth and final set of the doubles clash.
“This is more about heart than body,” said Vardhan after the victory. “I knew if I can stand there and get some time to recover, I can last the full match. I had seen this so many times when my seniors, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, made several recoveries from cramps in Davis Cup ties. Leander did that against Pakistan in Mumbai a few years ago. I was pretty sure that by taking more fluids, I could recover.”
Vardhan gave full credit to Sharan for keeping him relaxed and giving time to recover by taking charge of his court too. “I was completely exhausted towards the end of the third set. For me, it was a long day with a lot of emotions. But we figured out the strategy and that worked well,” he said.
Meanwhile The Times Of India reports that India's 'team of the future' wrapped up the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania zone Group I relegation play-off tie with a day to spare, but not before a mediocre New Zealand pushed them to the wire and asked some uncomfortable questions in two of the three rubbers. “Vishnu Vardhan was the man of the tie, pulling off two wins on Saturday to give India a 3-0 advantage and ensuring that India retain our Group I berth. The gentle giant from Hyderabad first played a flawless fourth set to finish off the delayed tie 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-2 against Jose Statham,” says the report, adding that after morning showers had resulted in another delayed start to the day's action, Vishnu didn't put a foot wrong and packed off the Kiwi No. 1 after just 32 minutes.
“Back on court 45 minutes later with debutant Divij Sharan for company, Vishnu rode a 3-hour, 50-minute emotional roller-coaster ride en route to a 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 triumph over Daniel King-Turner and Michael Venus.”
Meanwhile The Hindu reports that it was a tie difficult to lose even for the young Indian team. Vishnu Vardhan rose to the challenge and proved that the New Zealand team could be beaten even when he played on one leg, as he guided the host to a 3-0 triumph, clinching the crucial doubles in partnership with Divij Sharan 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3 in the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania group ‘I’ relegation play-off tie at the CLTA Stadium here on Saturday.
