By IANS
New Delhi : A knee injury forced Rohan Bopanna to pull out of the ITF Men’s Futures tennis tournament final in Chandigarh Saturday.
The injury is a setback for Bopanna ahead of India’s crucial Davis Cup tie against Japan next week.
He, however, said it was just a precautionary measure and he would be fit for the Davis Cup tie to be played here.
Bopanna, who spearheaded India’s challenge in the last Davis Cup tie against Uzbekistan in February, conceded the ITF final to compatriot Harsh Mankad Saturday to avoid any further damage to his inflamed knee.
“My knee was inflamed for the last couple of days and today I was feeling a bit. So as a precautionary measure I decided to skip the final,” Bopanna told IANS.
“There is nothing to worry about as it is a minor injury. I pulled out because I didn’t want to aggravate it ahead of the crucial Davis Cup tie against Japan,” he added.
If India can beat Japan, they might have a very great opportunity of qualifying for the World Group, a feat they have not been able to achieve since 1998.
Though the 28-year-old Bangalorean feels the hosts stand with an advantage against Japan, the tie is evenly poised for both sides.
“Japan will be a tough opponent but we will have a pretty good chance against them as the tie is at home and on grass. For now both the teams chances are 50-50,” Bopanna said.