That Serbia despite fielding a second string team could still put it across India 3-2 in the just-concluded Davis Cup tennis World Group play-off tie serves to highlight the preparations and focus of the two contingents that ultimately made the difference between winning and losing.
Serbia, the 2010 champions and runners-up to the Czech Republic last year, arrived here a week in advance for the tie to acclimatise to the heat, humidity and the altitude. They went about their training and practice sessions with a single-minded focus and without any distractions.
In the run-up to the tie, there was a lot of talk about the local conditions besides night matches that could prove a major obstacle for the Serbs who, however, refused to pay heed to such speculations.
"We have come here to play Davis Cup and that's it. We have to play with what we have, whatever the conditions or the fact that we do not have three of our best players. We have won ties without our top players in the past and so, our aim is to do well," said the team's non-playing captain Bogdan Obradovic on the eve of the tie.
"We have a couple of youngsters who have been with the team for the past couple of years and they are as well prepared as they can be for the matches," he said.
Serbia were without World No.1 Novak Djokovic who pulled out citing fatigue, Janko Tipsarevic, who is recovering from a heel surgery, and Viktor Troicky, member of the 2010 Davis Cup winning squad who has just completed a one-year doping ban.
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Obradovic's words were more telling Friday night after Serbia went 2-0 up by winning both the singles with their young guns, Dusan Lajovic (24) and Filip Krajinovic (22) easing past Yuki Bhambri and Somdev Devvarman for the loss of just one set.
Reflecting on Serbian tennis, Obradovic said: "We are a poor country and do not have the kind of facilities you (India) have. Tennis is also not the most popular sport in Serbia, but we have Djokovic who has inspired many youngsters."
"Krajinovic, for instance, is only 22 and has been travelling with the team for the past couple of years without getting a match to play. But he has learnt a lot from being with the Davis Cup team and today (Friday), he made the best of the opportunity," the captain said.
In fact, the 22-year old Krajinovic, ranked 107, proved to be the hero for Serbia by winning both his matches, notably the deciding second reverse singles against Bhambri, which gave the tie 3-2 to the visitors.
"I am happy that I delivered today after being with the team for some time. I am grateful to Serbian tennis for this opportunity. There was a lot of pressure (with the teams level at 2-2), but I managed to win in the end," said a modest Krajinovic who is being hailed as the next big thing in Serbian tennis.
The experience of 38-year-old Nenad Zimonjic also proved crucial to the Serbian success, though he lost the doubles tie partnering Ilija Bozoljac despite leading 3-2 in the third set after taking the first two.
Zimonjic suffered neck spasms in the third set and with his movements restricted, the Indian pair of Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna scrambled to victory. Paes, in his 24th year with the Indian team, hailed the win as one of his greatest comebacks in Davis Cup.
As well as they prepared, the Serbian approach and attitude on the court also helped them to pull through a difficult tie. They stayed positive throughout and reaped the rewards.
In contrast, the Indian team arrived here in batches. Devvarman and Bhambri flew in from Shanghai Monday after playing the finals in the Challenger. Paes, a late replacement for young Saketh Myneni, arrived Tuesday from New York via Mumbai.
The decision to include 41-year-old Paes at the last moment, at the expense of Myneni (27), led to speculations about the need for change, given that the veteran was not a certainty at the outset, busy as he was sorting out family issues as also his sliding doubles ranking that had dropped to 35.
"We thought we needed Leander's experience against such a strong team as Serbia," said non-playing captain Anand Amritraj ahead of the tie when Djokovic's pull out was not yet confirmed. Ultimately, Paes justified his inclusion by playing a pivotal role in the doubles victory.
Inspired by the doubles win, 29-year-old Devvarman beat a flagging Lajovic who cramped midway through the match, in five sets to tie the teams before Krajinovic put out Bhambri to seal the rubber for Serbia.
Throughout the week, the Indian players Paes, Devvarman and Bopanna were constantly bombarded with questions from the media about them skipping the Incheon Asian Games, protecting ranking points, tour commitments etc., distractions they could have done without.
It was another matter that India still won two of the five matches, albeit only just, but it left their fans wondering what might have been had Serbia come here in full strength. If anything, the Davis Cup tie has thrown up more questions than answers for Indian tennis authorities.
(Anand Philar can be contacted at anandphilar@gmail.com)