It’s been a few months since the Indian team qualified for the Billie Jean King Cup Playoffs from the Asia Oceania Group in Pune. And in a few months’ time, the Indian girls will be back at it in front of home fans when the Playoffs take place in Bengaluru. We caught up with Team Captain Vishal Uppal, a former Davis Cup player himself, to talk about the event and Team India’s chances in November among other things.

Indian Tennis Daily: Hi Vishal, thank you for talking to us. Firstly, we wanted to get your thoughts on Bengaluru getting the rights to host the Billie Jean King Cup playoffs in November.

Vishal Uppal: It’s great for Indian tennis and Indian tennis fans. This is the first time that the playoffs will be hosted by India. And we’re happy to be playing at home and look forward to a lot of home support.

Indian Tennis Daily: It’s been a few months since the regional ties in Pune. Have you had a chance to reflect on what went well and what worked for the team during that time?

Vishal Uppal: Absolutely. I’ve gone back and I watched every single match again to see what we did well and where we struggled and what we need to work on. It’s important for me to study my own players also so that I can help them better in matches. So, yes, I’ve taken a good close look. And obviously, the playoffs are still a few months away. We’ll have to take a look at who’s doing what in the interim period. And then I’m sure the selection committee will get together and decide the team.

Indian Tennis Daily: Early thoughts on our opponents in the group – Slovenia and Netherlands? How do we match up against them?

Vishal Uppal: Obviously, two very tough teams. You know, you’re in the World Group playoffs, so you can’t expect any easy matches. Both teams are extremely good. But having said that, we’ve shown that we can punch above our weight. And if our players are sharp and ready to go, then we can cause an upset or two. If we can cause two upsets, nothing like it. But, yes, we’ll be ready for it. They are top quality teams. It’s going to be tough. It’s going to be challenging.

But we have to be ambitious. So, the Zone 1 qualification, we had a point to prove to others. In the playoffs, we have a point to prove to ourselves that we can play with the best. And, we just have to go out and put our heart and soul into it and fight for every point.

Indian Tennis Daily: Final question on Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, whom you have been coaching.  She recently won the Billie Jean King Cup Heart Award. Can you share your thoughts on that and her performance in recent months?

Vishal Uppal: It’s a well-earned award. She did well. She won all five matches and played an important role in helping Team India qualify. So, I think it’s a well-earned award. She has to keep trying to do the best that she can and we’ll see how she keeps progressing.