Reasons behind India’s loss against Spain in Davis Cup

Having dropped out of the World Group in 2014, the Spaniards are on a mission to regain their place among the elite as they think that is the place where the belong.
 

This was always going to be a difficult match for India and many had predicted a Spain dominance even before the tie began. We look at the main reasons why India was destined to fail against the Spanish Davis Cup team.

Home Advantage goes wrong

It is for a reason they call it home ‘advantage’ which, India, unfortunately, failed to capitalize on. The All India Tennis Federation (AITA) has been on the receiving end of criticism ever since the fixture of the much-anticipated  Playoff was announced.

It's also a pity to know about the lack of communication between the federation and the squad as the players got to know the timings of the matches only when they were published on the Davis Cup website.

When you are playing the Spaniards, it is only the tiny bit of luck that you need to rely on for fate to turn tables, and the host for some reason seemed to have thought exactly the opposite. The fact that India has done well in the past playing matches in the heat and humidity makes a huge difference and gives them advantage playing against any team out there.

However, AITA chose a much relaxed time in the evening which in turn gave the Spanish players a clear ease of victory over the Indians.

Hard Court – WHY?

AITA seemed to have accepted defeat gracefully even before the fixture or rather made the victory easier for the Spaniards.

Not only did India fail to make the most of the humidity that our country boasts of, but also stumbled down on providing a more confident and preferred surface to the hosts.

Grass courts are known to deliver unpredictable bounces that sometimes go a long way in levelling the playing field which could have worked in favour of India for putting up a decent score margin. 

Somdev Devvarman and Yuki Bhambri – Singled out!

Two of India’s top players – Somdev Devvarman and Yuki Bhambri could not be a part of the most crucial fixtures of the tie.

With these two players not achieving their fitness goals, India's next best bets were seen in the form of the two freshmen – Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan and 19-year-old Sumit Nagal.