CHENNAI: IN March 2016, Yuki Bhambri played two Challengers in Zhuhai and Guangzhou before he was condemned to the treatment table thanks to tennis elbow. He wouldn’t return to the court till the last week of September. His world ranking had dropped from 111 to 282.
In March 2017, fresh from a Futures title in Chandigarh, he was working his way back up the pyramid. While tennis’ elite were making plans to capture the Sunshine Double — the Indian Wells and Miami Masters — the then World No 341 reached a Challenger semifinal before following it up with another. Having taken baby steps to the big league again, he rounded off the month with a quarterfinal at another Challenger. If the months of March in the last two years were spent in tennis’ backwaters, the 25-year-old is spending the 2018 version front and centre: reminding everyone of the talent at his disposal. As India slept on Thursday night, Bhambri eased past World No 75 Mirza Basic (winner at Sofia Open last month) 7-5, 6-3 to reach the second round of the Miami Masters.
His fourth win on the World Tour in 2018 meant he had scaled a significant achievement for an Indian tennis player. Back-to-back main draw wins at the Masters level. The last Indian to achieve this was Somdev Devvarman, in 2011. Gone are the days when Bhambri, the highest ranked Indian, would be unsure of his footing, thanks to injuries. These days, he is at the height of his powers.
What happened? All three of Vijay Amritraj, SP Misra and Zeeshan Ali mention the same change. “Injury free.” Ali, the national team’s coach, explains how crucial a phase it has been for Yuki. “The biggest difference between 2016 and now is he has been injury free,” Ali told Express. “He always had the game but is now physically a lot stronger. He is hitting a lot harder and is spending more time on his game when he is not playing.”
Another byproduct of staying healthy means he can trust his body more. A point Amritraj makes. “His shot-selection has improved. I told him in January this would be his break-out year and I stand by that. He is stronger and hence can lengthen the points without worrying. He is able to move forward to cut out the volleys, which he wasn’t doing earlier.”
Wins against World No 12 Lucas Pouille and Gael Monfils in the last six months have given him belief that the World Tour can be his natural habitat. Misra, AITA’s selection committee chairman, agrees. “He had points from 2017 March to defend when he took the bold call to play at Indian Wells. He has found another gear and it’s time he gets back into the top 100.”If he beats World No 11 Jack Sock on Saturday, Bhambri will be back in the promised land.
swaroop@newindianexpress.com