Disappointed with Somdev Devvarman's tame defeat against Mikhail Youzhny, India's Davis Cup captain S P Misra advised the youngster to add some more weapons to his game, saying mere a baseline approach would not win him matches against top players.
The country's former Davis Cup stars moan the exit from the elite World Group for the first time in 20 years.
Belarus will figure in the Davis Cup World Group for the first time while Germany are relegated for the first time in 20 years.
Round-up of World Cup qualifiers played on Friday
It was a fun year. I did a lot of fun things. I got Australia back in the world group of the Davis Cup, won a couple of titles, so it's been a good year so hopefully I can back it up in 2017
Lleyton Hewitt and Chris Guccione won the doubles rubber to give Australia a 2-1 lead against Roger Federer's Switzerland in the Davis Cup world group playoff tie on Saturday.
India kept alive their hopes of staying in the elite Davis Cup World Group as Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna scored a hard-earned 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3) win over Yuichi Sugita and Tatsuma Ito in the marathon doubles rubber in the play-off tie against Japan in Tokyo on Saturday.
World No 1 Roger Federer, playing his first match for six weeks, beat qualifier Olivier Rochus in straight sets on Monday to open his defence of his Swiss Indoors ATP title.
Hewitt cruised to victory in less than an hour and a half to leave Australia in control of the Davis Cup relegation tie at Perth's Royal Kings Park.
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Thomaz Bellucci's forfeiture enabled India draw level (at 2-2) with Brazil in the Davis Cup world group play-off tie in Chennai on Sunday.
'We did not want India to either default or forfeit this tie'
Controversial Australian tennis player Bernard Tomic is unlikely to play for his country again in the Davis Cup, captain Lleyton Hewitt said.
Juan Carlos Ferrero and David Ferrer gave champions Spain a 2-0 lead over Israel with crushing singles victories on the opening day of their Davis Cup World Group semi-final on Friday. Roared on by the boisterous home support in Murcia, former world number one Ferrero thumped Dudi Sela 6-4, 6-2, 6-0 after Ferrer had earlier thrashed Harel Levy 6-1, 6-4, 6-3.
Last September Somdev Devvarman emerged as India's new Davis Cup hero. Winning both his singles matches at the Ellis Park Arena in Johannesburg, Somdev ensured India a comprehensive 4-1 win over South Africa, and with it a place in the elite world group after a 12 year absence.
Though Brazil appear to be a better outfit on paper, factors like home conditions and crowd support are bound to work in the hosts' favour during the September 17-19 Davis Cup tie between the two countries at Chennai, said Indian doubles specialist Mahesh Bhupathi.
After a dream run at the US Open, where he made the men's doubles final, Rohan Bopanna on Monday said he is confident of giving India a 1-0 lead if he plays the opening singles rubber of the Davis Cup World Group play-off tie against Brazil.
Former world number one Marat Safin set the Russians on their way with a straight sets victory over Olympic champion Nicolas Massu before Igor Andreev upset world number five Fernando Gonzalez in four sets.
At the 2003 World Cup in South Africa and Zimbabwe, England forfeited their Pool A match against Zimbabwe for security reasons, while New Zealand forfeited their Pool B match against Kenya, also for safety concerns.
Switzerland and Serbia finished level on the opening Friday of their Davis Cup World Group playoff.
Russia's Dmitry Tursunov was ruled out of the Davis Cup tie against Chile with a wrist injury.
Karol Beck of Slovakia tested positive for the anabolic agent clenbuterol last September during Slovakia's Davis Cup World Group semi-final against Argentina.
Smriti Mandhana isn't actually known to be the most prolific T20 player -- her career T20 International average of 27.32 is middling at best. There have been failures too, but her ability to analyse and assess them honestly is a rarity in modern sport.
The world No. 1 made it three out of three wins on Sunday to give the Swiss a decisive 3-1 lead over Serbia.
Somdev Devvarman's tennis career has not only taken flight but is also going higher. As he puts it, he's playing better than ever!
Indian tennis ace Rohan Bopanna talks about the draw at the Chennai Open, his prospects and, of course, his big serve.
A round-up of Friday's action in the UEFA Nations League.
Nick Kyrgios has hit back at Bernard Tomic after his compatriot accused him of feigning illness to skip Australia's Davis Cup match against the United States at the weekend.
Andy Roddick and James Blake put US in a commanding 2-0 lead over Spain in the Davis Cup quarterfinals.
Somdev Devvarman yet again holds the key as the Indian Davis Cup team, sans Leander Paes, take on hosts South Africa from Friday to stake claim of a berth in the World Group after 11 years.
Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez handed champions Spain a 2-1 lead in their Davis Cup World Group quarter-final after beating German doubles pair Nicolas Kiefer and Mischa Zverev 6-3, 7-6, 6-7, 6-3 Saturday.
Wimbledon's slowing grass courts are hastening the end of serve-volley in tennis, the former world number one said.
India's doubles ace Mahesh Bhupathi tells the AITA he prefers partnering Rohan Bopanna in the doubles event at the Beijing Olympics.
Glimpses from Sunday's Nations League matches.
Roger Federer overcame Radek Stepanek in four sets as Switzerland and the Czech Republic battled to 1-1 after the opening singles matches in their Davis Cup World Group playoff on Friday.
Ace Indian doubles duo Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi won their doubles rubber against Romania to close the gap to 1-2 in the Davis Cup World Group Play-off.
Somdev Devvarman expresses confidence of a good showing ahead of India's Davis Cup match against Romania.
Argentina named David Nalbandian and teenager Juan Martin del Potro to play in the singles in their Davis Cup world group semi-final against Russia.
Paes-Bhupathi were up a break 3-1 in the second set after the Swedish pair took the first set 6-3 when play was called off for the day
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