Somdev Devvarman today said the sterling comeback doubles match of Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna inspired him to go out and win the crucial first reverse singles game for India and keep the nation's hopes alive in the Davis Cup World Group Playoff tie against Serbia here.
"Huge. It (Bopanna-Lee comeback match) was an inspiring stuff. To be 0-2 down and winning it from there is really inspiring. It is a lot of pressure playing at home," he told reporters at the post-match press conference at the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association Stadium.
A resilient Somdev pulled off a stunning five-set victory over world number 61 Dusan Lajovic to draw 2-2 parity against Serbia.
Somdev overcame a sluggish start to carve out a heroic 1-6 6-4 4-6 6-4 6-3 over win over Lajovic after battling hard for three hours and 37 minutes.
"I remember speaking to Lee and Bops saying please give me a chance because I did not play that well on Friday, and they did that and gave me a chance," he said.
"They read the game, especially Leander reads the game well, regardless where he is sitting...Something which I appreciate...I was really happy that the team was behind me to get me through that," he added.
