On the centre court docket of the Delhi Gymkhana Club on Saturday, there was Frederik Nielsen, Denmark captain and 2012 Wimbledon champ, Mikael Torpegaard, the big-serving teenager and Rohan Bopanna, the even bigger-serving veteran and the highest-ranked participant within the doubles rubber. Then there was the fourth, Divij Sharan. India secured the Davis Cup tie with a 6-7 (3), 6-4, 7-6 (4) win in doubles, saving three match factors to maintain the nation within the World Group 1. And essentially the most influential participant on the court docket was essentially the most understated one.
Saturday’s match was the third in Davis Cup for the 36-year-old Sharan. The final time he was summoned for doubles obligation, he partnered Bopanna on Kolkata grass and bested an Italian pair that includes present world No.7 Matteo Berrettini. One of his 5 ATP titles got here alongside Bopanna, as did the 2018 Asian Games gold medal.
The final two seasons, nevertheless, have been robust for Sharan, whose finest end has been a Challenger last in 2020. The Indian think-tank, thus, might have been tempted to subject Ramkumar Ramanathan for the doubles rubber. The non-playing captain Rohit Rajpal prompt as a lot on Friday after Ramkumar’s whirlwind singles win.
That Bopanna and Ramkumar have received two ATP titles this 12 months would’ve solely strengthened the case.
Instead, Denmark did the change. They changed Johannes Ingildsen — who has received a doubles rubber in Davis Cup earlier than — with Torpegaard, who had by no means performed one, as a result of the latter had “a big weapon, his serve.”
India caught with Sharan, who doesn’t serve huge. Sharan was usually examined, in a match largely dictated by serves. There was one break in nearly two hours and in 13 video games, the service was held to like. Seven occasions within the first set (three of the primary 4 video games), the returning group couldn’t get on the board. Bopanna, Torpegaard and Nielsen instantly discovered their groove, racing to ‘love holds’.
Sharan was stretched to a deuce in his first service recreation. The three match factors Denmark earned had been additionally on his serve.
“It goes without saying, and it’s not to compare the two, but Bopanna was making a lot of first serves and his first serve is really powerful. Divij plays more on placement” Nielsen mentioned about attempting to assault Sharan’s serve. “We had a feeling that there might be a few more chances (against Sharan). The scoreboard situation also put Divij’s serves under pressure. But we didn’t break the serve once.”
What he lacks in energy, Sharan makes up for along with his placement.
Being a leftie, he brings the standard unaccustomed angles and spins, together with the out-wide serve. But the benefit is much more pronounced in doubles.
There’s a cause why in doubles, the 4 males’s groups with essentially the most Grand Slam titles featured a right-left mixture. The mirror twins Mike and Bob. The Woodies, Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde. John Newcombe and Tony Roche. Peter Fleming and John McEnroe. Also, the Murray Brothers. Roy Emerson, the third most profitable doubles participant, prominently partnered with lefties Rod Laver and Neale Fraser.
Two forehands
By stationing Sharan on the deuce facet, India basically had two forehands. The combo had free overheads and forehands in the midst of the court docket. Bopanna managed the online expertly. To get to Sharan’s backhand, the Danes needed to thread the ball down the road or smack it cross-court. These are riskier, harder pictures in most circumstances. On the Delhi grass, it was almost unimaginable. Nielsen tried to try this on Denmark’s third match level at 5-6 within the third set. He formed to deposit Sharan’s second serve cross-court, away from the prowling Bopanna. The ball stayed low, he was rushed and located the online.
“Rohan’s got a big game, Divij doesn’t. But as long as they combine well, that’s the most important thing,” mentioned India coach Zeeshan Ali. “Divij has got a left-hand serve, Rohan was covering the net, it was very difficult to get the ball past him. The court was playing quick and that’s where Divij got a lot of help from. Even though he might not have the biggest serve or the hardest groundstrokes, he gets a lot of help from the surface.”
Bopanna summed up Sharan’s contribution. “With the lefty serve of Divij, there is not enough space on this kind of court, and it is very tricky to turn. When you have somebody covering the net like myself, trying to help him out, it puts a lot of pressure on the returns. Credit to Divij to come up with some good second serves.”
With Bopanna’s bazooka serves discovering their mark and Torpegaard matching the Indian for tempo, it was Nielsen’s serve that cracked.
After the adrenaline excessive of taking the primary set within the tiebreak, the 38-year-old Dane shanked volleys and conceded “a cheap break.” And as soon as India saved the three match factors within the third, they carried the momentum to seal the tiebreak.
Results: Rohan Bopanna-Divij Sharan beat Frederik Nielsen-Mikael Torpegaard 6-7 (3), 6-4, 7-6 (4); Ramkumar Ramanathan beat Johannes Ingildsen 5-7, 7-5, 10-7 (fifth match was not performed)
