Croatia will meet India for a place in the 2020 Davis Cup Finals in Zagreb from 6-7 March. Vedran Martić, Croatia’s new Davis Cup captain, held a press interaction session in Zagreb on Wednesday 26 February. He shared his viewpoints on the match and the preparatory work they are putting in place.
On Borna Coric’s absence
Borna Coric had problems with his left wrist in the Rio match and as things currently stand, he will not play given that it takes seven to ten days to recover. We still have time to draw and if he is ready he may play, but at the moment this is not likely.
On the team composition
Marin Cilic, Borna Gojo, Nino Serdarusic, Ivan Dodig and Mate Pavic have been called for the team. Marin Cilic unfortunately lost the match he needed to win against the 20th in the world Benoit Paire yesterday, but I hope he will be ready for India.
On the Indian team
The Indian team is coming in full force. Sumit Nagal is their first player. They have Gunneswaran and Ramanathan and a pretty good doubles team of Bopanna / Paes. The match is going to be quite difficult. We have to take it seriously and I hope we will win with the help of the Zagreb audience.
On the doubles match
The odds are good in doubles as well. We have two top players. Dodig had a bit of a wrist problem and lost against Paes yesterday but in doubles, these matches are often decided by one or two points and I hope that Dodig and Pavic will be ready to defeat the Indian team.
On Ramkumar Ramanathan being the dark horse in doubles
The question is whether the Indians will field Bopanna / Paes as a team as they also have Ramkumar Ramanathan who is good in doubles. We will be preparing for both the variations.
On India’s game plan
The Indians will base their tactics on two victories against our other player – Borna Gojo or Nino Serdarusic. They have a great and experienced pair of Rohan Bopanna and Leander Paes. But we also have a great team in Mate Pavic and Ivan Dodig and I believe that Gojo and Serdarusic have a chance to record at least one win.
Cilic is in good form, though he lost the match in Dubai. The good thing is that we also have seven days of training and getting used to the conditions.
