"A stage only eight countries in the world reach." Kwon Soon-woo is also excited... Korean tennis aims for new history, fate-bound match against India

*This content was translated by AI.

The South Korean men's tennis national team will challenge to advance to the Davis Cup Finals 8 for the first time in history on home soil.

The Korean team held an official press conference at Seoul Olympic Park Center Court ahead of their Round 2 Qualifier match against India on the 16th for the 2026 Davis Cup.

Coach Jeong Jong-sam stated through the Korea Tennis Association, "All players want to etch their names on this historic day," and added, "We are doing our utmost to prepare for it."

Team ace Kwon Soon-woo (Chungnam Sports Council) also said, "I have only seen what it means to reach the Finals in videos," and remarked, "It is a tremendous honor to compete against just eight nations from around the world while wearing the Taegeuk mark."

South Korea plans to maximize its home-court advantage against India, a team traditionally strong in doubles.

In particular, the Olympic Park Center Court, where this match will be held, has undergone extensive remodeling about 40 years after the 1988 Seoul Olympics, including replacing seats for approximately 9,000 spectators. The court surface has also been newly paved.

Players from both teams agreed that the new court is quite slow.

Jeong Hyeon (Gimpo City Hall), who secured a decisive victory against Argentina in February, said, "It is certain that the court is slow overall and the ball doesn't travel as far," but added, "Whether this favors our team remains to be seen."

Jeong Hyeon, who recently competed in international tournaments in Japan, stated, "I am focusing on bringing my match sharpness to its peak," and noted, "I have no concerns about injuries at the moment."

Kwon Soon-woo, who returned to the tour after being discharged from military service last July, is also a key asset. Regarding India's strength, Kwon warned, "They have tall players with powerful serves."

Kwon also has experience facing India's Sumit Nagal from their junior days. Kwon said, "I think we played once when I was 16 years old. He had strong forehand offense and I lost decisively at the time," adding, "Neither of them is an easy opponent."

Coach Jeong identified India's singles player Suresh as a dark horse. He explained, "I believe he is a player with skills better than his current ranking suggests," and emphasized, "How our players handle him will be important."

For Hong Seong-chan (Dangjin City Hall), who has returned to the national team, this match against India holds special significance.

Hong recalled his trip to India about 10 years ago, saying, "It was an away match then, on unfamiliar grass courts, and the weather was extremely hot."

He continued, "If I get to play this time, I want to turn that memory of losing in India into a memory of overcoming it," stressing, "I have prepared extensively for this. I intend to do my best."

Another key factor in the match is doubles. South Korea's doubles star Nam Ji-seong (Dangjin City Hall) said, "It is important that we play our game regardless of who the opponent is," and showed confidence by adding, "If we execute our prepared plays well, we can achieve good results."

Additionally, India's doubles ace Yuki Bhambri's absence from the national team due to a thigh injury has become a variable.

Under Davis Cup regulations, up to three players can be changed on the Qualifier roster until one hour before the official draw, so the final doubles pairing is expected to be finalized ahead of the draw.

Nam Ji-seong said, "Since Bhambri was not visible, we could only speculate," and added, "Regardless of who the opponent is, we can play a good match."

Doubles partner Park Ui-sung (Daegu City Hall) also stated, "Recently, I have been competing on tour with Ji-seong hyung, achieving good results, which has improved our chemistry and significantly boosted our confidence."

Ranked 16th in the world, South Korea leads India (ranked 19th) in their head-to-head Davis Cup record with six wins and five losses. However, they lost both of their recent two encounters in 2014 and 2016.

India is also aiming for its first quarterfinal appearance in about 30 years. Rohit Rajpal, India's coach, said, "We respect all Korean players," and added, "South Korea is a strong team with reasons for reaching this round just like us."

Sumit Nagal (ranked 247th), the highest-ranked player on the Indian national team, expressed confidence regarding the slow court, saying, "I actually like it," and noted, "A good player should be able to compete comfortably on any court and in any environment."

The Davis Cup Qualifier Round 2 match between South Korea and India begins with two singles matches at 2 p.m. on the 18th. On the 19th at noon, doubles will be followed by more singles matches.

In the Davis Cup, a total of five matches are played over two days, and the country that first achieves three wins is declared the winner.

If South Korea defeats India, it will mark the first time in history that they reach the Finals 8, the world's top eight, 66 years after first stepping onto the Davis Cup stage in 1960.

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*This content was translated by AI.