World Tennis League: Kyrgios, Medvedev, Monfils light up opening day in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: A sports exhibition is a double-edged sword. There is a certain detachment that it maintains from fierce competition, which a purist may liken to trivialising. But it also brings a sport closer to an audience, otherwise starved of watching its favourite players in flesh and blood.

The opening day of the fourth edition of the World Tennis League at the S.M. Krishna Stadium in Bengaluru was a mix of everything. The quality was a couple of notches below elite level, but there was fun and frolic, keeping the sizeable crowd bubbling. There was also a sprinkling of stardust, with the most high-profile visitor being the legendary Kapil Dev.

It helped that three of the biggest showmen in tennis were in action – Nick Kyrgios, Daniil Medvedev and Gael Monfils.

Kyrgios bounced with energy, rising from his chair in the dugout at every opportunity. At one point, chair umpire John Blom even admonished him. “Nick, please go sit,” he said, and his fellow Aussie quietly walked back – quite ironically – like a well-behaved schoolkid.

Medvedev and Monfils played the last match of the evening, ensuring that fans had a rollicking finish. Once, Monfils even overruled his coach’s call for a time-out, endearing himself to the supporters even more.

India’s Dhakshineshwar Suresh gave a good account of himself, staying with Canadian World No. 23 Denis Shapovalov for large tracts of his tie.

The one blemish on Wednesday came right at the beginning when play had to be stopped after a section of fans protested because the abnormally high players’ entry tunnel was blocking their view. Tennis resumed when they were moved behind the server’s arm, a vantage position they were only too thrilled to occupy. Agencies

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