The Indian heat and humidity always gets to visitors from the cold. Nothing surprising about a player falling ill, dehydrated. But two could be one too many sometimes, especially when Sweden have a reputation to uphold vs India.That day it was Andreas Vinciguerra, today it was Thomas Johansson, no less. Just over a half-hour knockabout on the DLTA grass court (the main court for the match) and he was hit. The doctor came up, the attending staff looked worried and though the rest of them were at the court, Johansson stayed off,on the ground. His pressure and other vital co-ordinates were measured when his breathing was heavy and Jonas Bjorkman and non-playing captain Mats Wilander, later said “all’s fine.”So what have the Swedes done about it? The Davis Cup World Group play-off starts Friday. They have totally changed their practice pattern. “We were doing long workouts, now we do twice a day,” Wilander said. “Sometimes the humidity hits you on the second day,” added Bjorkman. “Johansson did okay yesterday, then he had a bad night’s sleep after the long flight from China, and it all suddenly added up.”It was one thing Wilander talked about at a press meet later. “We play the heat and the Indian team, and though it is nice to be back here and play against friends, in the end we behave as pros.”The loophole could be somewhere thereabouts. India have never been able to master the Swedish pros. The home advantage this time, probably presents a miniscule window.Andreas Vinciguera, their first casualty of dehyderation, seemed to have recovered after being hospitalised for two days. The left-hander was hitting well and spent nearly an hour on the court, practising with Robert Lindstedt and Simon Aspelin.Interesting also, was the fact that the grass was holding good. For a surface transplanted and on a rather thin layer of soil, it has been a good effort. The Swedes were yet to come to terms with the court, though. Bjorkman complained about the “unevenness leading to odd bounces. The practice courts were surely better, he felt. “It’s a difficult court.” But, then, it will be the same for both teams. Wilander said so too. Leander Paes, Indian captain, however, felt that two days of practice on the main court (instead of the traditional one) was good.He said he had finaly been able to decide on the team composition, but said that should not be an issue. “Somebody has to be the reserve. I started off as a reserve. And believe me, there isn’t much difference between Rohan Bopanna and Harsh Mankad right now.” The rest is anybody’s guess.
