Big blow for India as Yuki Bhambri is in doubt for Davis Cup tie against Korea

Yuki Bhambri’s availability for India’s upcoming Davis Cup match against Korea in Seoul remains uncertain after the doubles specialist sprained his right foot during training ahead of his US Open first-round match. Indian captain Rohit Rajpal termed the timing of the injury as a big blow to the team’s preparation.

Bhambri was not part of the first group of Indian players that traveled to Seoul on Thursday night, so his participation in the deciding match was in doubt. India will be looking to win the competition and secure a place in the eight-team Davis Cup final.

The 32-year-old played down the injury concerns, describing it as a minor setback and insisting it should not affect his plans for the Asian Games later this month. He is currently being evaluated on a daily basis while working with members of the Indian team’s support staff, including Debashish Das and Yash Pandey.

“This (strain) happened before the main draw match during training. This is a minor strain. There is no timeline for my recovery but there is nothing major,” Bhambri told PTI.

“The pain is still there. It’s a day-to-day situation, we’ll see how it goes.”

“I’m racing at one hundred percent at the Asian Games. We’ll see if we can recover for the Davis Cup.”

Speaking to PTI from Seoul, Rajpal acknowledged that losing Bhambri at this stage has disrupted India’s preparations, although the team is still hopeful that the injury will not stop him from the Asian Games.

“We’re working on it, hopefully he should recover. It’s a huge setback for sure. His combination with DK (Dhakshineswar) is great. Yuki is by far our number one doubles player.

“His injury means we start again now. The combinations will depend on how quickly Yuki recovers and how we do on the first day. The Koreans already have the advantage of playing at home,” said Rajpal.

If Bhambri does not recover in time, India may have to reshuffle their doubles. N Sriram Balaji, the country’s number two doubles player, could be considered alongside singles specialist Dhakshineswara, while back-up players Siddharth Rawat and Arnav Paparkar are also part of the squad but play primarily in singles.

AITA sources said left-hander Anirudh Chandrasekar, currently India’s number four doubles player, has already been asked to join the team in Seoul on Rajpal’s request. Chandrasekar already has a valid Korean visa.

The national tennis body has also started the visa process for Niki Poonach, India’s No. 3 doubles player, as another contingency option.

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Published on:

11 Sep 2026 19:24 IST