Rajpal backs India for Asian Games medals, stresses Davis Cup prep

India’s Davis Cup captain Rohit Rajpal is confident the tennis team will win medals at the 2026 Asian Games. He also highlighted the challenge of the preceding Davis Cup tie against a strong South Korean team in Seoul.

India’s Davis Cup non-playing captain Rohit Rajpal backed the country’s tennis contingent to contribute to the medal tally at the upcoming 2026 Asian Games, while stressing the importance of early preparation ahead of India’s Davis Cup Qualifiers Round 2 tie against South Korea in Seoul.

The 2026 Asian Games, which will be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4, will follow immediately after India’s Davis Cup 2026 Qualifiers Round 2 tie against South Korea, with the Indian tennis team set to face a difficult challenge in Seoul before turning its attention to the multi-sport event. India will face off against South Korea on September 18 and 19 at the Olympic Tennis Court, Seoul.

Confident of Asian Games Medals

Rajpal, a 1990 Asian Games bronze medallist himself, said Indian tennis has consistently contributed to the country’s medal tally at the Games and expects that trend to continue this time as well. However, he acknowledged that the outcome will depend on factors such as conditions, form and the draw.

Speaking to ANI, Rajpal said India has consistently contributed to the Asian Games medal tally in tennis and expressed confidence that the team will do so again in 2026. However, he noted that the number and colour of medals will depend on factors such as form, conditions and the draw across the singles, doubles and mixed doubles events. “Asian Games is right after Davis Cup. If you look at history, even from my time—I'm an Asian Games medalist—we've always contributed to the medals tally. India has always—even at the last Asian Games, we had three or four medals. So, I am quite sure that we will contribute this time as well. But whether in singles or mixed doubles or doubles or women's doubles, it's difficult to say. It all depends on the local conditions, how you play during those matches and what kind of a draw you have. But certainly, we will contribute; there's no two ways about that,” he told ANI.

Davis Cup Challenge in Seoul

Ahead of the Asian Games, India will face South Korea in the Davis Cup Qualifiers Round 2 in Seoul. He said, according to the information he has received, the court has been slowed down, which could suit Soonwoo Kwon, and added that the team wants to assess just how slow the surface is and understand the conditions, so they can adjust accordingly.

“Things are going well. We are all on our way to Seoul. We're getting there early, and we want to start practising there. From the information I've received so far, they've tried to really slow down the court, which suits Kwon (Soonwoo Kwon) quite a bit. And we want to get there early and see how slow they've made it for us, and how we can adjust: what are the balls, how is the ball going to come to us,” he said.

South Korea's Home Advantage

Rajpal also highlighted South Korea’s recent upset win over Argentina and its strong record at home. He believes the hosts possess considerable depth, with even relatively unknown Korean players capable of producing big wins on home soil.

“We've watched a lot of matches over the past few days, and their matches. And they beat Argentina, which is a very good win. Argentina is a very tough team, and to get a win there is not easy. And I have some experience with Koreans because I won my Asian Championships in Seoul. They're very comfortable playing in Korea, and they play their best in Korea. And even when individual tournaments are there, you find unknown Korean players coming, beating top-100 players. So, they have a lot of depth in Korea, and for some reason, they don't like going outside of Korea and playing—a lot of the players,” he said.

Rajpal said he would have preferred India to host the tie, as playing at home would have provided both home and surface advantages. However, he said the team must make the best of the situation by arriving early and preparing thoroughly in Seoul.

“I would have much preferred if the match was here. It would have given us the home advantage and the surface advantage. But it is what it is; we have to make the best of it, and that's why the idea is to get there early and prepare well,” he added.

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