SOMDEV Devvarman, who had played on the outside courts of the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association as a youngster, and grew up watching the Chennai Open, is now the toast of Indian tennis in what is his debut ATP season.
“Like any youngster his age, Somdev was interested in tennis and I encouraged him. I never thought at that time he would have a great future in tennis. Through hard work and the support of well-wishers he has reached this far,” says the player’s father Pravanjan Devvarman. Adds Somdev’s mother Ranjana, “All his achievements are fine, but it is important to me that he should be a good human being.”
Born in Assam, Somdev was introduced to tennis at the income-tax courts in Chennai, where his father was employed in a senior position and he studied at MCC School. It was at the Britannia Amritraj Tennis (BAT) academy that he received specialised training. “He was an earnest student of the game. He was always focussed and sincere during coaching sessions,” recollects his former coach Ilyas Hussain. “He benefited from his four years at BAT and was a regular at the junior tournaments.”
Vishal Uppal, with whom Somdev travelled for various tournaments, has an interesting observation to make. “There have been many good players in the past decade, but Som is special. You need a big heart to play professional tennis and many possess that, but Som is blessed with a pair of strong legs. Plus, as Carlos Moya pointed out, his baseline style makes him different.” Somdev’s move to the US, where he studied at the University of Virginia, allowed him to polish his tennis skills and gain exposure by playing in quality events. As if to show his potential, he won the NCAA Singles Championship twice in a row.
Last year was a fruitful season for Somdev as he developed the knack of beating higher-ranked players. In 2008, Somdev won the $50,000 ATP Lexington Challenger by beating the higher-ranked Robert Kendrick of the US. He had earlier won the $10,000 Buffalo Bills tournament in Rochester, the $10,000 Futures event in Pittsburgh, and the Kennedy Funding Invitational tournament. En route, Somdev, who was ranked 500-plus then, surprised Bobby Reynolds, Sam Querrey and Dudi Sela, who were top 100 players on the ATP Tour. In the process, Somdev joined Harsh Mankad (Manchester, 2006) and Rohan Bopanna (Dublin, 2007) — other Indians who have won Challenger events.
“Last year was my first season as a pro and I had good performances. Overall, it was a good learning experience. In the Chennai Open, I took it one match at a time. I cherish my performance in a place where I learnt to play the game,” says Somdev, winner of a Challenger tournament and three Futures titles.
Hussain feels Somdev can break into the top 100. “He has the potential. It is okay to play from the baseline like he does, but not all the time. He also needs to come to the net, play more aggressively and improve his volleying skills. If he does that and maintains his tempo, no one can stop him,” says Hussain. According to Somdev’s coach Jacek Wolicki: “There is room for improvement but that will come as he gains experience.”
With Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi nearing the end of their careers, Somdev promises to keep the Indian flag flying in men’s tennis.
ashokvenugopal@yahoo.com