The devastation back home, caused by a deadly earthquake that killed close to 3,000 people, has jolted the Moroccan players ahead of their Davis Cup tie against India but visiting skipper Mehdi Tahiri said his team is determined to do well against a strong home side.
A 6.8-magnitude earthquake in the High Atlas Mountains on Friday left 2,901 people dead and more than 5,000 injured besides causing massive destruction.
The same day the Morocco Davis Cup team was on their way to India for the World Group II tie.
“Our hearts and souls are with the people back home. It’s very difficult for us to be away in this tough situation. We wanted to help people, but unfortunately, we are here,” said Tahiri.
“But we have to take it in our stride. Our prayers are with them,” he said.
Mini cauldron
If Thursday’s training session is an indication of what lies ahead for the Indian Davis Cup team, it will not be an exaggeration to say that more than the rivals, it’s going to be the treacherous conditions that will test the fitness of the home players.
The severe humidity has turned the Mini Stadium here into a mini cauldron.
Considering the weather, the captains agreed to reschedule the match-timings, delaying it by two hours.
