India Davis Cup team.Photo: File India Davis Cup team.Photo: File Low on ranking but high on emotions and zeal, a talented bunch of spirited players from Togo, led by Thomas Setodji, exuded confidence that they will be able to surprise hosts India this weekend in their Davis Cup World Group I Play-off tie. (More Tennis News)
Steodji is the only ranked player from the tiny African nation way down at number 1256 but in the Davis Cup he has a decent 9/3 win-loss record for his country.
On Tour, he is also a travelling coach of French player Calvin Hemery, who is ranked 206.
Together with his teammates Liova Ayite Ajavon, Hod'abalo Isak Padio and M'lapa Tingou Akomlo, they have won 10 of their last Davis Cup ties since 2022.
They do not train in Togo but in France and USA mostly where they get better
facilities and coaching. At the time of Davis Cup fixtures, they come together and churn out some impressive results.
house of fun 100 free spinsPunching way above their weight, they even stunned Latvia last year apart from winning against Indonesia (3-2) Benin (2-1), Algeria (2-1), Rwanada (3-0) and Congo (2-1).
The only blemish was 0-3 reversal against South Africa in August 2023.
India do not have their best singles player in Sumit Nagal but still the hosts will enter the tie as favourites. The gulf in rankings is huge but Steodji said anything can happen in sport.
"It's one human against one human. We have two arms, two legs. So we will see. We already beat some players with high ranking as your players. So we'll see on Saturday. And one day you can play very good. Another day you can play very bad," he said, reminding about the fickle nature of the sport.
"It just depends on the day. So when you enter in the court, if you think that you can win, you can win. But if you come on court and you're already lost, I mean, there's no way to win a match.
South Korea, meanwhile, are placed fourth in the standings with 6 points, with one win, three draws, and one loss. They were surpassed by China, who secured 2 wins and as many points. Korea’s season began with a 5-5 draw against Japan, followed by a 2-2 draw with Pakistan, their first victory with a 3-2 win over China, 3-1 loss at the hands of India and a 3-3 draw against Malaysia in their final pool match.
"So that's our mentality. And that's maybe why we are here now."
India's number two singles player Ramkumar Ramanathan also acknowledged that the Togolese were hitting the ball nicely.
"I just saw them the last couple of days. And, yeah, these guys are hitting the ball well. So we should just stick to our strengths and we should play to our capabilities and not think much about them."
Togo skipper Alisama Abnamba also said that his players are out there to pull off another shock result.
"It's a play-against-player. And you always have to expect the players to play their best. And if you have that attitude, nothing is going to surprise you. So, I mean, these guys have proven, like I said, from 2022 that they can play against anybody.
And then the results show.
"So with that mindset, the spirit of the team, I mean, we are one group of players chasing the same dream. And I think the attitude is just going to be something that's going to carry us to the finish line," he said.
The visiting captain is also liking the conditions in Delhi.
"The weather, I was a little bit surprised. I thought it was going to be a lot hotter coming in. But it seems to be kind of warm but not too hot. The weather is not going to be a factor in what we do this weekend."
Abnamba was also impressed with the fact that India had a group of eight players for training.
"I saw that there were eight players or something. I think it's very good. You made good stuff. Because I never see a federation before Davis Cup bringing eight players and stuff all the time. It's four or five maximum. Sopera play, congratulations for that," he said.
