After experiencing mixed fortunes on his Davis Cup debut, Rohan Bopanna is now ready to take on the mantle of the number one tennis player when India take on the Netherlands in the World Group qualifying tie from September 19-21.
"I am really looking forward to the play-off. We will be up against some of the best in the circuit and it will be a good experience to play them," Bopanna said from Bangalore on Monday.
India will be without its best bet Leander Paes, who is recuperating from a brain cyst that kept him out of the just-concluded US Open. Mahesh Bhupathi, Prakash Amritraj and Harsh Mankad are the other members of the team, which will be captained by Ramesh Krishnan.
It is learnt that Paes has expressed his willingness to be at Zwolle, some 115 km from Amsterdam and the venue for the tie, to inspire his teammates.
With or without Paes, Bopanna is keen to step on to the court.
"I am just going to go out and play my game. It is obviously going to be tough, both their players are in the top-40," Bopanna said.
Bopanna should be bubbling with confidence following his recent good form in the Challenger and Futures circuit, culminating in his title win a week ago in Jakarta.
"Even before (Jakarta), I have been playing well. But I could not win anything because I was competing in higher level tournaments against top-ranked players.
"I have enjoyed some good success, and when we go there (Zwolle) I will be ready to play my best," he said.
Bopanna is also not overly bothered about the playing conditions in Zwolle, where India will be playing on indoor hard courts.
"Yes, I have not played indoors and I can only know what it would be like when I go there," was Bopanna's terse reply.
Captain Ramesh Krishnan though was realistic in his assessment of India's chances against the Dutch team which included Martin Verkerk, Sjeng Schalken, Raemon Sluiter and John Van Lottum.
"September has always been tough. Even with Leander, the away matches have been hard," Krishnan said.
"Holland are a competent team. They don't have the stars like the US or Australia but Schalken is one of the consistent players on the circuit, and Verkerk did well in the French Open," he said.
"Our players have been on their own, playing in the circuit and that is good for them," he said.
India has failed to break into the World Group for the past five years. In the last three years in particular, they ran into top teams Sweden, the US and Australia at the qualifying stage.
India have played Holland three times so far in the Davis Cup and the European giants lead 2-1 on head to head. The fact that India beat them in the last encounter at Jaipur in 1996 does not excite Krishnan.
"It feels good but the singles players are entirely different from the team that played them last," he said.
The Indian team will be reaching the venue on Sunday.
