KOLKATA: India did their best to put up a challenge against the mighty Italians in their Davis Cup Qualifier, but the visitors were too good for the hosts and wrapped up the tie in four rubbers — winning the three singles matches.
The result was not surprising but for non-playing captain
Mahesh Bhupathi, it was frustrating.
“We all believed that we had a chance. We expected to win the doubles but we needed to win a point on Saturday. It was a monumental task to come back from 0-2 down,” said a dejected Bhupathi.
Though it looked like same old story for the Indians, Bhupathi feels with time things will change.
“We have three boys who can compete at this level. AITA doesn’t have the revenue to support players. The government needs to step up and support
tennis
. They are supporting so many other sports like hockey, wrestling and boxing. Rohan (Bopanna) and Divij (Sharan) have been approved by TOPS but the singles players also need that support,” explained the 44-year-old Bhupathi.