India needs to harness the energy from the momentous win over the Dutch

India’s thrilling, Dhakshineswar Suresh-inspired, 3-2 victory over the Netherlands in the Davis Cup Qualifiers first round at the S.M. Krishna Tennis Stadium here on Sunday was momentous for two reasons.

First, the triumph returns the country to a level in the global hierarchy which it had last reached in 2011 when it was part of the 16-team World Group in the erstwhile Cup format.

India, a three-time Davis Cup finalist, is now one among 14 nations in the 2026 Qualifiers second round which will be held from September 18 to 20. Seven winners from here, and defending champion-cum-host Italy, will play the Finals in Bologna in November.

Second, India’s success over No. 6 Netherlands makes it two in two over a higher-ranked European nation, after having felled No. 25 Switzerland last September.

This is noteworthy because Europe and the Americas dominate the rest of the world in terms of structure and system. Also, present-day Davis Cup doesn’t offer the protections it once did.

Until 2019, the competition had two distinct rungs, with the elite World Group sitting atop various continental silos. But now, the whole world is one giant pool, with the top-26 nations competing in World Group I and the next 26 in World Group II. There is thus no immunity from drawing big-ticket adversaries from around the globe.

In fact, from 2014 to 2020, India played European/North American opponents in seven of its 14 ties, and lost all of them. Starting 2021, seven of the 10 have been against Europeans, and yet, it has managed three immensely creditable wins. However, the glass is only half full. It helped that Switzerland did not have three-time Major champion Stan Wawrinka, and the Dutch team World No. 29 Tallon Griekspoor and No. 67 Botic van de Zandschulp. One cannot hope for such mercies always.

In the absence of a high-quality player-development programme, India is struggling to produce top-100 players, and has little to no representation in singles at Grand Slams.

While 25-year-old Dhakshineswar comes as a breath of fresh air, the talent pipeline has mostly been dry. The All India Tennis Association is mired in litigation, with most of the heavy-lifting done by a few State associations such as Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

For now, Lady Luck is continuing to smile on India, for it has drawn South Korea away in the Qualifiers second round. Of the 14 countries in the fray, Korea is third-lowest in rankings (22), above only India (33) and Ecuador (37).

But to secure the sport’s future, it is imperative that India harnesses the energy from the Netherlands win and makes the right moves.

“Honestly, things are getting better and more professional,” India No. 1 Sumit Nagal said on Sunday. “This is the first time we had three physios, 10 players and enough members to practise with. I have heard that new people are getting involved. I believe there is change coming soon, for the better”.