'Roger Federer's Davis Cup absence doesn't make tie easier' - Tarpischev
The Russian Tennis Federation chief Shamil Tarpischev previewed the upcoming Davis Cup tie between Switzerland and Russia that will take place on Friday and Saturday on indoor hard-courts. 'Team leaders Karen Khachanov and Daniil Medvedev will perform in Biel, they are fit', said Tarpischev as quoted by Championat. 'Besides them, Andrey Rublev, Evgeny Donskoy and the 14-year-old Konstantin Zhzheno, nephew of the famous actor Georgy Zhzhenov are very promising. For Switzerland, the world No. 6 tennis player Roger Federer will not play but it does not mean that the tie will be easy. Biel is at 800 metres on sea level, we have to adapt to these conditions.'
Tarpischev also spoke about Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova's potential comebacks on the women's side: 'In November, Vesnina enjoyed a joyful event: she gave birth to a daughter called Liza. We hope Elena has time to recover and that both of them will be eligible to play the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. We would not want to lose such a strong couple. Sharapova's appearance in the Fed Cup first round, where we want to bet on younger players, seems unlikely to me. If we get far, she may then help.'
Sharapova spoke about the city of St. Petersburg: "I did not walk there yet, only by car towards museums and for training. I did not feel the cold because I do not spend too much time on the street. But anyway I will be ready, I have a hat and gloves. As for the crowd, I want to see packed stadiums, which I saw today. I think it is given by the fact that I rarely play home. I hope the stadium will be full on any given day.'
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from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2Tmzz8l
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