Rastogi gets financial cover

Up and coming Indian tennis player Karan Rastogi has bagged a sponsorship deal with Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd (DHFL) that will cover his expenses for the year; it includes an advanced training programme at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida.

The sponsorship, worth Rs 60 lakh, has come as a big boost for the Mumbai-based player, who made his Davis Cup debut for India last month against Uzbekistan.

"Right now it is a one-time deal, from January 2007 to January 2008," said his father, Rahul Rastogi.

The 20-year-old, who is training at the NBTA, is now looking forward to join the advanced customised training programme, which costs approximately US $1000 per week.

"This sponsorship deal has come as a huge relief, especially for my parents who had to sacrifice a lot," said Rastogi at a media conference at the Bombay Gymkhana on Thursday. "It's taken a whole load off my shoulders and will definitely help me focus on my game much better.

"I can now concentrate on specific training at the Nick Bollettieri Academy, where I will focus on fitness and train with some the best players in the world."

Though he lost both the singles matches against Uzbekistan, where India went down 1-4 in the Group I first round tie on indoor clay, Rastogi said he was happy with the performance and was looking forward to the next round.

"I have no complaints on my Davis Cup debut. I played well, had a close match against Denis Istomin (Uzbekistan No 1). We were put up in a place where we wouldn't normally stay, but that's the challenge of playing Davis Cup. There were only five people cheering for us there," he noted.

India take on Kazakhstan from April 6 to 8 for the relegation play-off in Almaty.

"It's going to be played on indoor acrylic courts, which are supposed to be fast with low bounce; which is good for us.

"I have played their No 1 Alexey Kedriouk lots of times and we know each other's game well. Their second player doesn't play much."

The Indian squad, led by Leander Paes, includes Rastogi, Rohan Bopanna, Divij Sharan and reserve Sunil Kumar Sipaeya.