Excited about Cup debut, says Karan

Upcoming Davis Cup tie against Togo poses challenges for Indian tennis with young debutant Karan Singh in spotlight.

With Indian tennis in a churn for the past couple of years and uncertainties around the availability of several top players for national duty for a variety of reasons, the upcoming Davis Cup tie against Togo will be an intriguing one.

While the three seniors in the side are expected to shoulder a major portion of the burden in a tie where India is favourite, at least on paper, youngster Karan Singh is excited about making his debut in India colours while being realistic about his chances of getting a match.

“It’s a great feeling. It’s my first Davis Cup tie so I’m really looking forward to it. The preparations are going well and I’m really excited — of course there’s also nerves — I’m pumped and super excited to show my skills,” he said, after a hard session of training at the RK Khanna Stadium on Tuesday watched keenly by captain Rohit Rajpal and coach Ashutosh Singh.

But he denied any pressure to perform, calling it a privilege instead. “You cannot say it’s pressure, it’s a privilege to play for the country and I’m always looking forward to representing India. I’m just excited to play. It’s a different environment, you have physios and coaches and captains and everyone’s really helpful, very different from being on the (ATP) Tour because there we travel alone.”

He also was positive of getting to play but added it was up to the coach and captain, admitting that it was tough to be on the bench biding his time. “I’m expecting, but let’s see how the tie goes. It’s a bit tough but you have to see what’s best for the team. The captain and coach, they know better. Of course I want to be there and show what I can do. Whenever I get the chance, I’m going to give my best. I think we should be good,” he hoped.

Rajpal, on his part, backed the 21-year-old to do well. “I definitely think he’s one of the guys that’s going to be playing singles for India. Other than that, the whole purpose of getting the rest of the boys — Aryan Shah, Chirag Duhan, Yuvan Nandal, Manas Dhamne — these are the next batch of kids and we are getting a chance to sit on the bench and understand what pressure is all about in Davis Cup and getting them ready. We want them to start early so that we have a young bunch of guys, the next generation takes over.”