Cambodia’s national head coach Braen Aneiros was happy to discover that the newly resurfaced indoor courts at the My Dinh Sports Complex in Hanoi seemingly suit his players as the Davis Cup squad completed its first training session ahead of Monday’s Asia/Oceania Group III series involving eight other countries.
After the team’s arrival on Wednesday night, Cambodia were among the first to reach the competitive arena for workouts on Thursday. As the players warmed up, the most striking aspect that Aneiros, a former Panamanian Davis Cupper, noticed was the slow nature of the courts.
“We were among the first to test these courts out. I think our four days of practice on the new courts will definitely give us an advantage over the other teams getting in later. And in a competition as fierce as the Davis Cup, every small detail counts,” Aneiros, who has been with the national team since 2009, told The Post via telephone.
“The training went very well. All the players looked sharp and ready. The courts are brand new and are very slow. I am happy with the speed of the courts. They perfectly fit the style of play of our players,” Aneiros said.
While the team is planning two more workouts tomorrow, non-playing captain Tep Rithivit kept an eye on the other teams going through their paces.
“We’ve seen some of the other teams on court this morning and I seriously think we are on par with a lot of the other players.
“The surface helps to even the playing field, and it’s going to come down to a couple points here and there that will make the difference in deciding who will move up and move down this year.” said Rithivit, whose task it is to figure out singles nominations in every tie once the draw is completed on Sunday morning.
