Following his stunning 7-6, 6-3 victory over Switzerland’s Jerome Kym in the opening rubber of the Davis Cup tie, Dakshineshwar Suresh spoke about handling the pressure of his debut, his reliance on college experience, and the future of Indian tennis.
What are your thoughts on this match? Making your debut for India must have been special.
Coming in, playing for India for the first time, making my debut here was really special. Obviously, there was a lot of nerves going into the court, especially playing for your country for the first time. But I did handle them pretty well because I’ve played on some pretty big stages with the crowd and stuff, so I felt pretty comfortable. I trusted my game, and then the whole team was there supporting me towards the end.
What was your game plan coming into this match against Kym?
My game plan… I trusted, same thing. I’m a tall guy, so I trusted my serves and played my big game, especially being indoor, hard, which is one of my strengths. So I just came in [and] trusted my game. Whatever happens, happens. Especially holding serves is pretty important for my game. And then on return games, I take my chances and play solid, and eventually, it turned out pretty well.
This is your Davis Cup debut, but how much did your college tennis team experience help you handle this environment?
That was actually a big plus for me coming into a team environment because I’ve been used to it, and I’ve been with that for the last three years. So coming in, I knew what I needed to expect from the side, from the coach, [and] the captain on the court. It wasn’t anything new to me to be in this environment. So that was a big plus, like I said. I handled that pretty well.
How did you find the playing conditions here in the Swiss Tennis Arena?
It was pretty different. Coming from America, the altitude was a little higher, so it was tough getting used to the first few days. We came early, practiced a lot, and got used to it. Even the courts were a little slower compared [to what I’m used to]. So, same thing again, having a few early practices and coming here before [the tie] really helped us out. But I love the conditions over here, and the Swiss fans were also pretty good.
With this win secured, what are your thoughts on the Davis Cup tie and the direction Indian tennis is moving forward?
It’s a big thing for India. There are a lot of good players coming up, especially the young ones like Aryan Shah and Karan Singh. And you have Sumit Nagal carrying the team—he’s the oldest right now in singles. I feel pretty confident as well, so I hope the young guys keep rising up.
