Bhupathi available for Davis Cup tie

By Nirmal Shekar

LONDON, JULY 13. Mahesh Bhupathi, the India No. 2 whose performance at Wimbledon last fortnight was affected by a sore shoulder, has confirmed that he would be available for the Davis Cup tie against Sweden at Bastad next week.

Bhupathi, who is still in London taking treatment for his shoulder, has said that the shoulder has responded well and he would be playing in the tie.

Wimbledon was the first tournament where Bhupathi played singles - he lost to Stephane Huet of France in the first round - but the fact that he also figured in the doubles and mixed doubles meant the burden on his shoulder was heavy.

It may be recalled that Bhupathi underwent surgery on his right shoulder in December 1999 and was out of action for almost six months.

Meanwhile, Ramesh Krishnan, the non-playing captain of the Indian Davis Cup team, said here today that the team would assemble in Bastad on Saturday.

``Mahesh and I are leaving London for Bastad on Saturday and we should start regular practice from Sunday morning,'' said Ramesh. But Ramesh said it was highly unlikely that Bhupathi would be able to play in the singles rubbers. ``Right now I don't think that is a realistic thing,'' he said.

In the event, it appears that Ramesh will most likely choose the debutant Harsh Mankad and Prahlad Srinath for singles to be played on a slow red clay court in a serene resort town in southern Sweden.

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Section  : Sport
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