Davis Cup 2016: Nadal and rest can teach Indians more than just tennis

You have to experience the Davis Cup atmosphere to feel the energy in a home tie.

As roads leading to the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association facility were choked over the weekend and fans lined up outside for free tickets, the buzz was in the air.

In the lead up to the tie, there was a huge debate if matches should be held in the day or under lights. Looking back at the heat and humidity in the last two days, it was quite sensible to have a late start as our own players' fitness is suspect.

The Davis Cup is all about bonding and being closely knitted. There is no room for personal egos. Whether you are a superstar celebrity with an assortment of 14 singles Grand Slam titles to your credit like Rafael Nadal or a lesser known player, the drill is the same.

To be part of a spirited side like Spain and execute the job in the best professional way is so impressive.

Watching the team train under non-playing captain Conchita Martinez, a Grand Slam winner in her own right, was impressive.

She brings with her a great degree of professionalism and it reflected in the way the Spanish players conducted themselves.

For any overseas side to come to India at this time is a huge challenge.

New Delhi and neighbouring areas are in the grip of high fever. It can be something as simple as viral fever or the more scary malaria, dengue or chikungunya.

That the Spanish team, champion Nadal included, came to Delhi and trained in right earnest for the challenge spoke volumes about how they treat the Davis Cup.

We had seen during the 2010 Commonwealth Games, players from Australia and a few more countries did not want to come over. More recently, players from a few countries refused to travel to Rio for the Olympics, because of the Zika scare.

It included the Bryan twins Mike and Bob, and the loss was theirs as there hardly was any medical worry in Brazil.

Back to the tie at the DLTA, the organisers did a good job of ensuring the main stadium court was decked up.

It had an energetic look, and even though free passes were distributed in large numbers, that all seats were taken up, was a good sign.

These days, hardly any money is made from gate collection in a Davis Cup tie at home. It made sense to keep the gates free and also regulate the crowd. There were some who were ignorant of tennis and still came, because they wanted to just see Nadal.

As regards the true tennis fan, to be present inside the DLTA was special as never before had a Grand Slam champion come and played in a Cup tie in India.

Each sport has its share of marquee players and crowd pullers. Nadal is special for a variety of reasons. Despite being a true icon, he remains down to earth and the aura has to be felt.

He does not throw his weight around nor does he demand any special treatment when playing for Spain.

Talk of discipline, the Spanish side set the highest standards and they have won hearts of thousands of fans in India. They did not come here and shout they are going to whack India.

As a side loaded with so many talented players with high ranking on the ATP computer, they define team spirit.

They sport the red colour beautifully and be it the players or even fans who have come from Espana, they caught the eye.

What was a bit jarring to see was an Indian wear a red t-shirt on Friday and sit on the sidelines.

Yes, given that blue is the colour of the Indian team, it was inappropriate that Leander Paes was sitting on the sidelines wearing a red T-shirt and cheering Ramkumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni.

There are lessons to be learnt from Spain and Leander could do so, though, at 43, he should be setting the example.

On court, when Nadal finally stepped for the doubles, the crowd was ecstatic. Watching the southpaw even in doubles is very special.

As a singles player who has a complete game which borders on being physically super-fit, Nadal is a rare champion.

In doubles, the Rio Olympics gold medallists, Nadal and Marc Lopez, played up-and-down tennis. They did get the geometry in the shots right and Nadal showed that standing close to the net, he can be a classy player to watch with his stunning volleys.

And that's one shot Nadal does not use too much in singles as he is more than happy to whack the groundstrokes and outmuscle his opponent.

For their part, playing in front of a raucous crowd, Leander and Saketh fed on the ambience of the great stage. It enabled them win one set.

After that, it was Marc Lopez and Nadal who showed what it takes to close out an important doubles rubber in the Davis Cup.

Vamos Espana!

(Courtesy of Mail Today.)

Also read - The fading star of Rafael Nadal