The Indian tennis team were, on Thursday, drawn to play Sweden in an away World Group I tie, which will be held in September of the Davis Cup.
This development comes just days after India were officially promoted to the World Group I after they blanked Pakistan 4-0 in a play-off in Islamabad.
India and Sweden have faced off five times in Davis Cup with the latter emerging victorious on each occasion. This includes a 0-5 loss in the 1987 Davis Cup Finals, which remains India’s last final appearance in the prestigious tournament.
The last time India and Sweden went up against each other in a Davis Cup clash was way back in 2005, when India suffered a 1-4 loss in Delhi.
“The away ties are tough because surface choice is with the home team,” Indian captain Rohit Rajpal was quoted as saying by PTI.
“It will depend on what surface they choose to play on. We could have drawn tougher teams and now we have to make full use of this draw,” he added.
Elias Ymer, who is ranked 160 in the world, is Sweden’s best singles player. India’s best bet, however, remains Sumit Nagal, who is slotted in at 121st place.