Tokyo: India's No. 1 Somdev Devvarman is happy with the hot conditions in Tokyo for their Davis Cup World Group play-off against Japan, beginning Friday, and expects the team to regain its place in the elite World Group.
India are forced to play in the play-offs yet again after they lost to defending champions and top seeds Serbia 4-1 in the first round of the World Group at Novi Sad in March.
The India team reached Japan on Sunday and since then, have been practicing on the hard courts in the city.
World No. 65 Somdev plays 175th-ranked Yuichi Sugita in the opening singles at the Ariake Colosseum on Friday.
The Indian is happy with the newly-laid courts for the tie and feels the conditions are "great" for tennis.
"We've been working hard. The team was here about a week early to acclimatise and gear up for the tie. It should be good," Somdev told IANS.
"The courts are very quick. The last few days have been very hot here. There conditions are great for tennis. Both the teams are well prepared and eager to win. It should be a good tie."
Somdev leads the head-to-head against Sugita 2-1, beating him in three sets in the Aptos Challenger last year.
In the second singles, Rohan Bopanna, who only plays singles regularly in the Davis Cup, will take on Japan's top player Kei Nishikori, the highest world-ranked player in the tie at 55th.
The last time Bopanna played Nishikori in the Davis Cup three years ago in Delhi, he beat the Japanese, who was making his Davis Cup debut, 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.
Somdev will be playing "good friend" Nishikori in the first reverse singles. The two had also teamed up for the doubles in Wimbledon this year. The friendship, however, will take a backseat when the two face-off.
"I have not played against Kei before. He's a good friend of mine and is obviously a very good player, he's already won a tour event. But I'm here because I want to win and I'm hoping for a good result," Somdev said.
India will be without their key doubles player Leander Paes, who is suffering from back spasm. His absence has left India with a tricky task of finding a player to team up with Mahesh Bhupathi.
Though India have in Bopanna another world-ranked doubles player, he may not be subjected to playing three days running if he has to play a crucial rubber-deciding fifth match.
As of now, non-playing captain SP Misra has tentatively paired Vishnu Vardhan with Bhupathi, but he could even ask Somdev to partner Bhupathi after his good showing in the doubles at the US Open. Misra said a lot of will depend on India's showing on the first day.
"I have put Vishnu Vardhan's name for the doubles. He is in good nick and the coaches are very happy with his approach to the game," Misra told IANS.
"But the rules permit us to change the combination till an hour before the start of the match. The matches here will begin at 1 PM and it will be very hot. So, a lot will depend on how we fare on the opening day and how long Somdev and Rohan will be on court for their singles matches."
Somdev said the players are geared up to give their best.
"We're all disappointed that Leander couldn't be here. He's such an experienced player and it's a huge advantage having him on the team. But things like this happen. We still have a very strong and supportive team and we're keeping our hopes up high," he said.
"To player three best-of-5 set matches over 3 days can be tiring for players. But Davis Cup brings out the best in us and we're all charged up."
Misra said he sees fair chances for India in the tie.
"The team has been working very hard. Despite the courts being freshly-laid, they are not slow but are decently fast and bouncy, which is good for us. The weather is very hot here which suits our players. I would not like to predict the scores but I expect a very fair tie," he said.
Japan entered the play-off with a 4-1 defeat of Uzbekistan in Kobe, Japan.
Nishikori, who is also coming off an injured hip and back, is confident of his side's victory against India.
Japan are attempting to return to the top tier of the competition for the first time since 1985.
"My target is to win two matches," Nishikori said. "I'm physically fit and ready to play. I am one of the team members and am confident Japan is going to win."
India lead Japan 18-3 head-to-head in the tie. They beat Japan 3-2 in their last meeting in 2008. India have finished runners-up on three occasions, in 1966, 1974 and 1987, but are yet to lift the trophy.
Draw:
Friday:
First singles: Yuichi Sugita (JPN) v Somdev Devvarman (IND)
Second singles: Kei Nishikori (JPN) v Rohan Bopanna (IND)
Saturday:
Doubles: Nishikori and Go Soeda (JPN) v Bhupathi and Vishnu Vardhan (IND)
Sunday:
First reverse singles: Kei Nishikori (JPN) v Somdev Devvarman (IND)
Second reverse singles: Yuichi Sugita (JPN) v Rohan Bopanna (IND)
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