CHENNAI: In 2009, the Chennai Open gave a wild card to a Guwahati-born player who had spent his formative years in the city before making waves on the US college circuit, wherein he bagged back-to-back national crowns. The 23-year-old didn’t disappoint, upsetting Carlos Moya and Ivo Karlovic before being subdued by Marin Cilic in the final. It was official. Somdev Devvarman had arrived.
A year later, he became the first Indian since Leander Paes in 1997 to breach the top-100 barrier. It allowed Somdev to get into the main draw of Grand Slam events. Asian and Commonwealth Games gold medals followed. His defensive game didn’t win him style points, but the scrappy play made him endearing nonetheless. Pundits said it was a learning curve and he would soon adapt and improve.
Fast forward to 2015. The World No 152 has won two Challenger titles this year, but the last five Majors have seen him lose in the qualifying stages. Jot it down as another case of potential unfulfilled.
In the meantime, Yuki Bhambri – the 2009 Australian Open boys’ champion – has emerged as legitimate challenger with a host of consistent performances propelling him to No 145. Although the New Delhi lad has only qualified for a Grand Slam once, earlier this season in Australia, his aggressive game has made people sit up and take notice. Has Somdev finally been passed by an upgraded model?
Davis Cup skipper Anand Amritraj has seen both in action from close quarters. He feels the 23-year-old Yuki is better-placed than Somdev to make the jump, even though the former is frequently plagued by injuries. “Yuki needs another 150 points to get into the top-100. If he wins a Challenger event and reaches the final of another, it’s possible. He’s an aggressive baseliner in the (Andre) Agassi mould, but is a bit fragile physically. That’s the only concern,” the former No 73 told The Sunday Standard.
“Som is strong mentally and physically, but he’s 30 years old now. To get back into the top-100 he needs to be more aggressive — not his forte. He reminds me of (Michael) Chang in some ways, but that counterpunching style doesn’t cut it anymore.”
Even though he enjoyed most of his success in doubles, Anand concedes tennis’ appeal is being a one-on-one sport. Even he qualified for the Grand Slams back in the day. Why can’t the present lot do so? “For Vijay (Amritraj), Ramesh (Krishnan) or even myself, it was always about singles and qualifying for the Majors. One shouldn’t even think about full-time doubles till the age of 30. That’s the natural progression. The current predicament is disconcerting,” the elder Amritraj added.
SP Misra, a former Davis Cup captain and All India Tennis Association selection committee member, fears both Yuki and Somdev should have changed coaches to keep in tune with the rest. “The most important factor is stagnation. Yuki and Som stuck with their coaches, while making the change could have led to improvement. This is most evident in Som’s case because after many years on Tour, he still hasn’t developed much of an attack which leaves him susceptible to those ranked higher. His results this season have confirmed the same fears,” the 73-year-old opined.
“Meanwhile, Yuki has been doing well in the Challengers. It’s easy to note that he’s the more talented shotmaker, but there needs to be an improvement in his mental makeup. It’s all between the ears.”
On the other hand, former Davis Cup skipper Jaidip Mukerjea feels the high standard of play is to blame for Yuki’s inability to make the jump. Unlike Somdev, he feels the youngster isn’t fit enough to last five sets. “Nowadays, players focus on aerobics and gym workouts, but how many do running or swimming? There needs to be some sort of balance. Except for Som, none of our players are strong enough to play five sets. Indians prefer Davis Cup because it’s just two five-set matches, whereas going deep in a Major means requires at least two more.”
For a nation starved of singles stars, it’s high time someone stepped up to the line and served an ace. Who will it be? Unsurprisingly, your guess is as good as ours.
India’s Favourite Sons
Yuki Bhambri, 23
Birthplace: New Delhi
Plays: Right-handed
Turned Pro: 2008
Highest Ranking: 143
Current Ranking: 145
Career Win-Loss: World Tour: 14-10; Challenger: 68-45; Futures: 110-33
Career Titles: World Tour: 0; Challenger: 3; Futures: 10
Career Prize Money: $299,294
Coach: Aditya Sachdeva
Leander Paes
Highest singles ranking: 74
Best-ever performance in Major: 3rd round 1997 (US Open): After beating Carlos Costa and Arnaud Boetsch in successive rounds, Paes went down to future Wimbledon finalist Cedric Pioline in five sets.
Other achievements: He also secured India a bronze at the 1996 Games in Atlanta, the country’s only medal in that edition.
Ramesh Krishnan
Highest singles ranking: 23
Best-ever performance in Major: Quarterfinals (US Open 1981, 1987) & (Wimbledon 1986): One of India’s well known tennis faces, Krishnan thrice reached the second week at the Majors.
Other achievements: Was part of the team that lost in the final of the 1987 Davis Cup final to Sweden.
Ramanathan Krishnan
Highest singles ranking: 6 (pre-ATP)
Best-ever performance in Major: Semifinals (Wimbledon 1960, 1961): After besting Roy Emerson, a determined Rod Laver bested him in the 1961 semifinal.
Other achievements: Given a seeding of No 4 at Wimbledon in 1962. He withdrew midway.
Vijay Amritraj
Highest singles ranking: 16
Best-ever performance in Major: Quarterfinals (Wimbledon 1973, 1981) & US Open (1973, 1974): The quarterfinals of the 1981 edition saw Amritraj losing to Jimmy Connors in five sets.
Other achievements: Was part of two Davis Cup finals, 1974 and 1987.
Somdev Devvarman, 30
Birthplace: Assam
Plays: Right-handed
Turned Pro: 2008
Highest Ranking: 62
Current Ranking: 152
Career Win-Loss: World Tour: 61-80; Challenger: 92-65; Futures: 33-16
Career Titles: World Tour: 0; Challenger: 5; Futures: 4
Career Prize Money: $1,427,397
Coach: Scott McCain
2015 Results
Chennai 250: R32
Australian Open: Q1
Hong Kong Challenger: Quarterfinal
Burnie Challenger: R32
Launceston Challenger: R32
New Delhi Challenger: Winner
Kolkata Challenger: R32
Guangzhou Challenger: R16
Shenzhen Challenger: R32
Houston 250: Q3
Sarasota Challenger: R16
Savannah Challenger: R32
Tallahassee Challenger: R16
Bordeaux Challenger: R32
Geneva 250: Q3
French Open: Q2
Stuttgart 250: Q1
Ilkley Challenger: Q2
Wimbledon: Q1
Winnetka Challenger: Winner
Atlanta 250: R32
Washington 250: Q1
Aptos Challenger: R32
US Open: Q1
Somdev leads
head-to-head 2-1
2015 New Delhi Challenger (hard) F Somdev 3-6, 6-4, 6-0
2015 Hong Kong Challenger (hard) R32 Somdev 2-6, 6-4, 6-3
2014 Chennai Challenger (hard) SF Yuki 6-2, 6-4