More prepared mentally and physically : Vesley

A completely different Jiri Vesley turned out on the court on Sunday as compared to the one on the opening day when he struggled to cope with the conditions, and the Czech number one said that he was more mentally and physically prepared to deal with the sweltering heat and humidity during the 

Davis Cup <g data-gr-id="94">tie</g> against India here.

World number 40 Vesley posted a comfortable straight set win over Yuki Bhambri in the fourth match of the World Group Play-off tie to help the top seeds and three-time champions <g data-gr-id="40">Czech Republic</g> beat India 3-1 and regain their place in the elite-16 nation World Group.

“Conditions are still very very hot. But on Sunday I was more mentally and also physically prepared. I was prepared for the tough conditions here. I thought I will have to get the first two sets because longer the match goes, the tougher it gets,” said Vesley after the match.

Vesley hardly looked like a top-50 player when he was tamed by Somdev Devvarman in straight sets on the opening day, and he admitted that there was pressure on him after the way he performed on Friday.

“I felt the pressure and the responsibility after Friday.

I lost 0-3 on the first day and I felt the responsibility. It was a very important match on Sunday and a very important point. I am very happy with the way I handled it on Sunday,” he said.

The 22-year-old said service was his strength and he was glad that it worked well for him on Sunday. 

“Serve is one of the most important parts of my game. On <g data-gr-id="47">Sunday</g> my serve was working very well for me,” he said. Czech Republic captain Jaroslav Navratil, meanwhile, said it was a close tie against India and the key was his team’s victory in the doubles match on Saturday.

“It was a very close tie. Although we were ranked higher but in Davis Cup, <g data-gr-id="51">ranking</g> is not so important. Somdev (Devvarman), ranked 164, played very well on Friday against our world number 40 player, Jiri. I could not believe that he hit more than 20 aces. The key to our victory was the win in the doubles <g data-gr-id="49">match</g> on Saturday,” said Navratil.

“We are really happy to have pulled it off in these hot and humid conditions,” he added.