India and Sweden will face off in the Davis Cup 2024 World Group 1 match on Saturday, September 14, and Sunday, September 15, at the Royal Tennis Hall in Stockholm. Earlier this year, India defeated Pakistan 4-0 in Islamabad in the World Cup 1 playoffs clash after which they qualified for the World Group 1 stage.
If India win, they will make their way through to the Qualifiers to be staged in 2025. The loser of the match between Sweden and India will play in the World Group 1 playoffs next year. For the match against Sweden, India would not have the services of two of their key stars, Yuki Bhambri and Sumit Nagal, who recently plied their trade in the US Open 2024 at Flushing Meadows.
For the clash against Sweden, the onus is on N Sriram Balaji and Ramkumar Ramanathan to take India past the finish line. The duo will be up against Elias Ymer, Leo Borg, Filip Bergevi and Andre Goransson. Son of Bjorn Borg, Leo, recently made Rafael Nadal work hard for his victory in the Nordea Open.
Balaji, in the meantime, is also fresh from playing in the US Open while partnering Guido Andreozzi from Argentina. The duo advanced to the second round of the men’s doubles where they lost 6-7 (4-7), 4-6 to the eighth-seeded pair of Michael Venus and Neal Skupski. Ramanathan also has experience under his belt with two doubles titles in 2022 to his name.
As far as India are concerned, they do not have an impressive record against Sweden, losing all their five ties. On three of those instances, Sweden beat India 5-0. Back in 2005, the two nations met for the last time in the Davis Cup where Sweden won 3-1 at the RK Khanna Tennis Stadium in New Dehi.