Andreev expecting hostile reception

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 12:02

Russia, runners-up to the United States in 2007, are sure of a hot reception from a passionate local crowd, but Andreev, one of Russia’s two singles players along with Nikolay Davydenko, is sure his team will handle the pressure.

“It will be a tough game,” he said. “The people here are so passionate, they support their players a lot. They turn a tennis match into a football match.”

He added: “Two years ago we played Chile away so we hope we can use that experience [to deal with the pressure].”

Andreev will contest the opening singles rubber with David Nalbandian and reckons the player who holds his nerve better will prevail on Friday.

The 25-year-old said: “When you play the first match, you are a little bit nervous. Davis Cup is a different championship. You have to have clear ideas about what to do on the court.

“The sooner you control nervousness, the sooner you can play good tennis and improve your play.”

World number six Davydenko headlines the Russian team, which also consists of 19th-ranked Andreev, Dmitry Tursunov, the world number 26, and Igor Kunitsyn. The latter pair will contest Saturday’s doubles.

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