Mankad returns to Davis Cup squad

The Indian Davis Cup team appears to be working in tandem on one front at the very least — keeping mum about all off-court issues as they prepare for next week’s tie against Japan. Prakash Amritraj was the first member to roll into town and he had a quick practice session at the DLTA this afternoon. “I would prefer to talk only after the whole team arrives by Monday. But it’s nice to be back; it feels like home,” he said.

Meanwhile, Harsh Mankad has made his way back into the Indian team after a title-winning performance at the $10,000 ITF Futures in Chandigarh. All India Tennis Association secretary general Anil Khanna said: “Harsh has been playing good tennis; I watched his semi-final yesterday and he was superb. We had not yet decided on a fifth member for the team so I felt he would be a good pick.”

Harsh did not have to whip a single forehand past his opponent in the final, as top seed Rohan Bopanna withdrew from the match before it began. The Davis Cupper insists it is not serious saying, “I pulled out as a precaution. I could feel a slight inflammation in my knee.”