Bengaluru: Mahesh Bhupathi has been around tennis his entire life and two decades as a pro. Now, having stepped into the role of Davis Cup captain, the 42-year-old is enjoying his stint at the helm.
“Davis Cup captaincy for any athlete is an honour. These guys are my colleagues. I have played with all of them. I have played against all of them including the opposition. It’s a bit of a unique situation. So for me to be able to captain them, it’s exciting and I think they are enjoying it as well,” said Bhupathi on Wednesday.
With the tie against Uzbekistan starting on Friday marking his debut as captain, it’s uncharted territory for the former doubles specialist. Having always found himself inside the white lines, Bhupathi is adapting, and quickly, to the new life on the sidelines.
“When you are playing, you are worried about doing everything for yourself so you are ready when Friday comes. When you are captaining, you got to make sure everybody else is ready.
“From diet to food to recovery to ice-baths. One guy wakes up with a cold, another with a bad hamstring. There is a lot going on,” revealed the captain.
With Uzbekistan confirming their top star Denis Istomin will not be making the trip, the odds seems to have levelled for the hosts. Both teams are now without their highest ranked player as Yuki Bhambri had already pulled out with a knee injury earlier this week.
Despite the developments, Bhupathi stressed that there is no change in their plans. “Two days ago we knew that it was highly likely that he (Istomin) wasn’t going to show. losing Yuki was a blow but now Istomin is not there, that evens up,” he opened up. “No changes in plans. I don’t have so many options in singles. Istomin here or not, my players are all set.”
