Bangalore-based CGK Bhupathi, father of Mahesh, was equally ecstatic over the victory. 'The most significant point is that India made it to the World Group without contribution from Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi. I believe that the future looks very exciting for Indian tennis,' he said.

Bhupathi pointed out that in the past, Mahesh and Leander were the key components in the Davis Cup team, but the victory against South Africa showed that the next generation of players is fast surfacing and Indian tennis has a lot to look forward to.

'Of course, we still need the doubles point, but we can always count on Somdev. Rohan (Bopanna) too has played some wonderful matches in Davis Cup. He has beaten Japan No.1 and now, the top ranked South African player. As regards Yuki, I hope that he can convert his potential into big results as he progresses to the senior ranks,' he said.

Bhupathi, who runs a tennis academy in Bangalore, however felt that the achievements of Indian tennis players this year was still to be highlighted.

'This year, we have won three Grand Slam doubles titles, two Indians were in the US Open doubles finals, one Indian won the Australian Open junior title (Bhambri) and now we have qualified for the World Group after over a decade. We have to highlight these achievements so that it would inspire more youngsters,' Bhupathi asserted.

'The point is that in India, it is the individual who makes the sport rather than the other way around. Hopefully, now that we have achieved quite a bit in tennis, things will improve,' he said