Heady Days

India’s tennis players are not often the subject of national pride. While cricket dominates the public imagination, the country’s few bright spots on the tennis court tend to flicker and fade. Now, Indian tennis reached a rare milestone in progressing to the Davis Cup Qualifiers by beating Switzerland 3-1 in a World Group I tie. It was a historic victory that underlined both the promise of a new generation and the persistence of a long-neglected sporting ambition.

The final rubber saw SumitNagal, a player better known for battling in the Challenger circuit than topping headlines, tame Switzerland’s Henry Bernet, the reigning junior Australian Open champion. Bernet’s aggressive tactics, designed to overwhelm his opponent, backfired spectacularly as unforced errors mounted. Nagal, taking command with the kind of calm efficiency that only comes from experience, closed the match 6-1, 6-3. The win was much more than personal redemption for Nagal, who last represented India in a Davis Cup tie against Morocco in September 2023. It was a testament to a team slowly but surely finding its feet.

The significance of this victory cannot be overstated. India had not won an away tie against a European opponent in 32 years. The last time it triumphed was in 1993, when the formidable pairing of Leander Paes and Ramesh Krishnan led the nation to a quarterfinal victory over France. That era, dominated by Paes’s unparalleled doubles prowess and Krishnan’s gritty singles play, now belongs to tennis folklore in India. Since then, there have only been sporadic flashes of brilliance - Paes’s multiple Grand Slam doubles titles or Sania Mirza’s rise in women’s doubles. India has generally struggled to translate these into sustained Davis Cup success.

Captain Rohit Rajpal, who took the helm in 2019 following Mahesh Bhupathi’s tenure, now boasts his first major breakthrough. His decision-making, particularly fielding Nagal in the decisive rubber, demonstrated a growing confidence in nurturing homegrown talent rather than relying solely on veterans. Indeed, Dhakshineshwar Suresh’s victory alongside Nagal’s own earlier singles win hinted at a deeper bench of emerging players, ready to challenge convention.

India’s tennis odyssey has long been hampered by structural weaknesses: inadequate domestic competition, poorly funded developmental programmes, and a public disinterest that sees even the sport’s modest achievements largely ignored. The country’s success on home soil like the 2022 win against Denmark in Delhi had provided hope but not the full proof of progress. Triumphs on foreign clay, grass or hard courts are the true acid tests.

Now, as the team prepares for the first round of the Davis Cup Qualifiers in January 2026, optimism is cautiously warranted. The journey ahead remains steep. Swiss tennis remains a respected powerhouse, capable of producing stars like Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka. Yet the psychological hurdle of winning in Europe, long considered a near-impossible task for Indian players, has been crossed. Indian tennis, often the nation’s neglected child, may yet be poised for heady days ahead.