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Tennis

Togo whitewashed but Indian Tennis faces a long road ahead

Crippled by bureaucratic hurdles and devoid of structure, an overhaul is the need of the hour for Indian tennis.

Davis Cup, Indian Tennis, Rohit Rajpal
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India blanked Togo at the Davis Cup 2025 World Group I Playoffs. (Photo Credit: AITA)

By

Anmol Mongia

Updated: 4 Feb 2025 11:12 AM GMT

India cruised to a comfortable 4-0 victory against Togo in the Davis Cup World Group I tie held on February 1st and 2nd at DLTA, New Delhi.

The home team delivered a commanding performance, highlighting its strength in doubles while also giving young talent a chance to shine.

On the opening day, Sasikumar Mukund set the tone by defeating Togo’s Liova Ajavon in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1, with minimal resistance. In the second singles match, Ramkumar Ramanathan faced Togo’s No. 1 player, Thomas Setodji.

With aggressive serving and precise shot-making, Ramanathan wrapped up the match in just 45 minutes, securing a 6-0, 6-2 win and giving India a 2-0 lead.

The doubles match on Day 2 featured Sriram Balaji and Davis Cup debutant Rithwik Bollipalli against Togo’s Hod’abalo Isak Padio and M’lapa Tingou Akomolo.

The Indian pair dominated, clinching a 6-2, 6-1 victory and sealing the tie for India at 3-0. With victory assured, Karan Singh was given an opportunity to make his Davis Cup debut in a dead rubber match.

The young Indian delivered a solid performance, defeating Togo’s Isak Padio 6-2, 6-3, ensuring a clean 4-0 sweep for India.

Despite tennis not being among India’s most-watched sports, the home crowd provided enthusiastic support throughout the weekend, adding to the celebratory atmosphere at the venue’s center court.

Post-match reflections

At the post-match press conference, the Indian team appeared relaxed and jubilant.

Speaking to the media, captain Rohit Rajpal praised his players, particularly the doubles duo, stating, “Today, the doubles pair was fantastic. It was a solid match, and they were great at the net. Karan looked very confident and gave us an enjoyable match.”

On Togo’s performance, Rajpal noted, “We made them look worse than they actually are. We knew we were not going to give them any rhythm whatsoever. Pressure handling is one area they definitely need to work on.”

Togo’s team, though disappointed, remained in good spirits. Setodji, who had been recovering from an injury, acknowledged the challenge of competing against a stronger Indian side when interacting with the media.

“We are a small country, with only 9 million of us. It’s already a win for us to be here,” he said. “We showed a lot of confidence in the first press meet; that was our tactic, but we knew it was a big task ahead of us. We lost 4-0, but we are here, we are smiling.”

Togo’s captain admitted that a win in the doubles match could have shifted momentum but accepted the outcome.

“We were hoping to build pressure on India if the doubles match went our way. Now we go back, prepare more, and get better.”

A small group of Togolese supporters, mainly embassy families and students, cheered for their team in the stands.

Their captain acknowledged the disparity in crowd support, adding, “We also played at home twice, and the crowd was on our side, so we expected this to happen.”

Need for stronger institutional support

While India has a solid history in doubles tennis, its singles prospects continue to lag.

Speaking to the media on the state of Indian tennis, Sriram Balaji, who represented India at the Paris Olympics, highlighted the progress in doubles.

“We have nine players inside the world’s top 120 in doubles, so we are optimistic about the future. The Captain (representing AITA) has plans for singles as well, and I am sure we will find our depth there soon.”

Balaji and Bollipalli are part of the ‘Doubles Dream of India’ program led by Rohan Bopanna, which is aimed at providing structured support for Indian doubles players.

Drawing from this model, Balaji emphasized the need for similar backing across all levels of Indian tennis.

“AITA doesn’t need to give prize money to players. We need coaches on tour with us. Now that coaching is allowed on tour, it would be a relief if the financial burden of their travel doesn’t fall on us.”

Sasikumar Mukund echoed concerns about access to training facilities, pointing out bureaucratic hurdles in using government tennis courts.

“It’s a hassle for players to get a court. They make a lot of trouble. Timing restrictions make courts unavailable, and some courts even have rules that disallow players from serving or hitting balls with a coach. The process can be made easier so that players ranked within 30-40 get an ID or that certain hours can be reserved in advance.” He also suggested that AITA offer prize money in its tournaments to incentivize players.

Need for a systematic overhaul

Captain Rohit Rajpal, who also serves as treasurer of AITA and acting president of DLTA, fielded questions about the future of Indian tennis.

He emphasized the lack of a structured player development program.

“Any successful nation has a player development program. That’s what we lack. Many older players believe that it is not the job of the federation but that of private academies to develop players. Organizing and bringing in tournaments is part of the association's job. I always differed with that,” he said.

Rajpal referenced India’s now-defunct National Tennis Center (NTC), which was previously led by former Davis Cup coach Zeeshan Ali before shutting down in 2023.

“With the National Tennis Center closing, we need to go back to the drawing board with AITA and come back with a better system. We need to put a fund together and use it throughout the year,” he added.

He also stressed the importance of knowledge-sharing from Indian tennis legends like the Amritraj brothers and the Krishnans to nurture the next generation.

India’s convincing win over Togo in the Davis Cup tie showcased the country’s dominance at this level, but it also underlined the broader challenges in Indian tennis.

While doubles continues to thrive, the singles game needs greater institutional support. With a lack of structured development programs and accessible training facilities, the road to producing world-class Indian singles players remains long and uncertain.

The discussions following India’s win served as a timely reminder that while victories in team events are important, sustainable growth in Indian tennis requires deeper, long-term investments from the federation.

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