The new-look Davis Cup, masterminded by Barcelona footballer Gerard Pique, has the potential to rival golf's Ryder Cup as a sporting spectacle, the tennis competition's organisers say.
France, who were 2-0 up courtesy of Arthur Rinderknech and Adrian Mannarino, faced little resistance from Ecuador as wins for Benjamin Bonzi and the doubles pair of Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicholas Mahut secured victory for the 10-times champions.
The Indian tennis team has written to All India Tennis Association (AITA) expressing reluctance to travel to Pakistan for their Davis Cup clash scheduled to be held next month.
In an email to the ITF on Monday, AITA chief Hironmoy Chatterjee said India had full confidence the ITF and Pakistan Tennis Federation would organise an "excellent" Asia/Oceania Group 1 tie but said more security checks might be in order.
'If it is a World Cup then yes, doing away with home and away format, is okay'
Senior player Rohan Bopanna pulled out of India's upcoming tie against Pakistan due to a shoulder injury, paving the way for Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan's inclusion in the playing squad.
Now both men have made history for their country, leaving a permanent mark on the history books.
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India, with players of the caliber of Sumit Nagal, Ramkumar Ramanathan and veteran Leander Paes, were already expected to win easy but pulling out of Pakistan top players Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan has made it a no-contest.
Pospisil and Shapovalov joined forces in the deciding doubles rubber against Jordan Thompson and John Peers, winning 6-4, 6-4 in front of several hundred delirious Canadian fans.
Bautista Agut played in Spain's victories over Russia and Croatia but left the team and returned to Castellon after the health of his father Joaquin deteriorated.
India's first and only tennis medal in the history of Olympic Games came way back in 1996, when Leander Paes claimed the singles bronze in Atlanta.
Murray, who underwent hip surgery in January, won the European Open in Antwerp last month but the three-time Grand Slam champion is the lowest-ranked singles player in the British team at 126 behind Dan Evans (42) and Kyle Edmund (69).
India raced to a 2-0 lead in their Davis Cup tie
Images from Day one of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica in Madrid on Monday
Indian cricket team had last toured Pakistan in 2007, and after that, no team across any sport in the country has toured Pakistan.
Shapovalov and Pospisil, who have shouldered the burden through four ties in La Caja Magica this week, combined to beat Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5).
India's number one player Prajnesh Gunneswaran, who achieved career-high 102 ranking this week, has been drawn against 22-year-old debutant Matteo Berrettini in the second singles rubber at the Calcutta South Club grass courts.
'You cannot have only one product or one market or one customer segment.'
Murray, playing in his first Davis Cup tie since 2016 and only five months after returning to the sport following career-saving hip surgery, clawed out a 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(5) victory
'The quality of tennis is better playing indoors because factors like sun and wind do not affect the matches.'
'I think of that young baby, still in her diapers, balancing with her arms held up by her mother, a Tamil woman wearing a salwar kameez and a dupatta, seated on a stoop,' recalls Aseem Chhabra.
The November 29-30 contest has already been rescheduled once, owing to security concerns raised by India.
India's Davis Cup Captain Mahesh Bhupathi picked Rohan Bopanna for the Davis Cup match against Uzbekistan in Bengaluru.
Doubles specialist Rohan Bopanna said he has no security concerns about playing Davis Cup in Pakistan, where he has always enjoyed 'great hospitality'.
World number two Rafael Nadal has been named in Spain's squad for their Davis Cup World Group quarter-final against Germany in Valencia next month.
The 2022 champions and last year's runners-up GT lost to Punjab Kings by three wickets and Lucknow Super Giants by 33 runs in their last two matches, and Miller's firepower was sorely missed at the back-10.
'The players and all of the fans need to try to give it a chance to see how it goes and I think we'll have a better idea after the tournament is finished.'
Long-serving Leander Paes was, on Thursday, dropped for the first time in 27 years from India's Davis Cup squad as non-playing captain Mahesh Bhupathi picked Rohan Bopanna instead for the tie against Uzbekistan.
Kyrgios earned a suspended six-month ban in September for those transgressions but it only applies to the ATP Tour and not the Davis Cup.
India's tennis campaign at the Paris Olympics lasted just a day as Sumit Nagal and the men's doubles pair of Rohan Bopanna and N Sriram Balaji bowed out after losing their respective opening matches to French challengers in Paris Sunday.
'After three decades of passion for our sport and playing for 1.3-plus billion Indians in the Olympics and Davis Cup, I am thrilled that my hard work has been recognised.'
It left the players and the team management disappointed and after discussing the matter among themselves, they have decided to approach the federation.
Balaji also showed that he can quickly adapt to conditions when he was asked to do the singles duty during the Davis Cup tie against Pakistan on grass. The rival was not of the highest quality but Balaji showed that he was willing to come out of his comfort zone if the team demands.
'I'm happy to be part of this Italian movement. People, they start to play tennis now more and more, which is great to see. I think that's the most important.'
Former doubles world No. 1 Leander Paes was recently elected to receive the Ultimate Honour in Tennis - induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame - as the Class of 2024.
'Before the match I spoke to Leander and he told me to play for the country and 'Davis Cup is a great adventure, so give your best'
Both Balaji and Bhambri have got some decent results on clay in lead up to the Roland Garros, where the action will unfold during the Summer Olympics from July 27.
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