Somdev Devvarman: Coached in the act
CHENNAI: Somdev Devvarman was six years old when Leander Paes turned professional in 1991. But, at the ‘young’ age of 31, he called time on his career via Twitter on Sunday. Even so, over the last few days, the 2009 Chennai Open finalist has been giving tips to Prajnesh Gunneswaran at the SDAT Tennis Stadium. In fact, at the behest of the TNTA, Devvarman held a coaching camp here for a few local players.
While Devvarman hasn’t made any official announcement about taking up coaching, it has been learnt that he has applied for the assistant’s job at the University of Virginia and to get in, he needs some work experience on his resume.
“I know the people, system and coaches in the US, so it’s kind of like an easy fit, but there’s nothing concrete yet,” was all Devvarman said when asked about his future. Suddenly, the ‘rumour’ of his name being in the running for Davis Cup coach didn’t seem far-fetched, but it has been put to rest by the AITA sticking with Zeeshan Ali.
It may be odd seeing Devvarman, who only came to the net to shake hands, teach others how to play low volleys, but that’s missing the wood for the trees. Being a coach is different to being a player. Just ask India’s Fed Cup captain Nandan Bal. “When a former player takes up coaching, he has to put his own ego aside. It’s not easy because as a player, you’re only looking at the tactical part, but as a coach, you have to look at your ward and his opponent’s technical faults. You need to have that knowledge which a lot of players don’t have unless they actually do the learning part,” Bal told Express.
He also recalled how the French tennis federation reacted when 1983 French Open champion Yannick Noah came up with a similar request. “When Noah retired, he asked the French federation for the Davis Cup coaching job. They told him he could have the captain’s job, but not the coach’s. He was asked to go through the national coaching system, learn how to be a coach and then he could become one.”
Even Paes seemed stumped. “Not quite sure what his aspirations are as a coach. Not all great players/athletes make great coaches. People who have never played the game can be great coaches. It’s about communication, commitment and honesty - about building a relationship. In my opinion, those criteria are necessary to make a good coach.” However, it begs the question: is he a suitable candidate to take someone under his wing? From being a fairly limited player who has lost the fire at just 31, how will he inspire those who will need constant pep talks to keeping their own fires burning?
rohan@newindianexpress.com