The Danish men’s national tennis team must do without Denmark’s best ranked player in the upcoming Davis Cup match against India 4-5. March.
Holger Rune, number 90 in the world rankings, is ranked so high now that it is mandatory for him to attend the big Masters 1000 tournament Indian Wells, which begins on March 7.
Well enough, the Dane is currently only on the tournament’s reserve list, but as a minimum he must play qualification to join the main tournament in Indian Wells in California.
In that context, it does not fit well to have to play Davis Cup matches many time zones away on a completely different surface. In Indian Wells, hardcourt is played, while India as a home nation has decided that the Davis Cup match against Denmark will be played on grass in New Delhi.
That is why Davis Cup captain Frederik Løchte Nielsen has had to think of alternatives to the showdown against the Indians. The playing captain has written Mikael Torpegaard, Johannes Ingildsen, Christian Sigsgaard and Elmer Møller on the Danish team card.
Frederik Løchte Nielsen stopped his professional career in January, and he therefore no longer has an ATP ranking. However, he also announced that he will continue to give a nap when the Davis Cup team goes into action.
Denmark and India play for the right to play at the second highest level in national team tennis later this year. In a press release from the Danish Tennis Association, Frederik Løchte awards the favorite dignity to the Indians.
India are favorites. They have a team full of experienced Davis Cup players who are at home on a slightly special surface that they are clearly more comfortable on than we are. But our players are good, and when we hit the day, we can catch up with most teams in the world, says Løchte.