BENGALURU: After the conclusion of the Tata Open Maharashtra, Indian tennis players have turned their attention to the twin legs of the Bengaluru Open Challenger events, starting Monday.
Three ATP tournaments in a span of 21 days are rare in India, and with the players from the country having been limited to a few tournaments ever since Covid-19 struck worldwide two years ago, it provides them with an opportunity to earn crucial ranking points and decent prize money as well. It is also a matter of giving these players the much-needed confidence to prepare for the season ahead.
Among the Indians, Ramkumar Ramanathan, who won the Tata Open doubles title alongside Rohan Bopanna on Sunday, and Prajnesh Gunneswaran are the only players to gain a direct entry into the men's singles main draw.
Besides, there are a few wildcards, including 2018 finalist Saketh Myneni and qualifiers from the country, who will be eager to make an impression.
Though the Tata Open did not go according to plan in the singles arena, past results in Bengaluru spreads positivity. Of the four winners, Sumit Nagal and Prajnesh clinched the title in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
However, the draw has not been in favour of the two top Indians. Both Ramkumar and Prajnesh are in the top half, which also includes top seed Czech player Jiri Vesely. The other quality players are Italy's Stefano Travaglia, Australian Aleksandar Vukic and Swede Elias Ymer among others.
"Two events back-to-back will be very useful and motivating. Three weeks of tennis is not something we see often in India. It has been a tough two years for Indians with the pandemic. We Indians have always had good results in Bangalore. It is a great opportunity for us to make something special happen. There is no pressure going into these home events. We will have support, fellow players, coaches, family," said Prajnesh.
In the doubles category, it will be interesting to see how the pairing of Divij Sharan and Yuki Bhambri, who have been handed a wildcard, perform. With Yuki not featuring in the singles category, both the players will be eager to improve upon their Tata Open finish, where they exited in the Round of 16. A good performance here might act as a boost if they are to feature in the Asian Games scheduled in August.
"Yuki and myself got a doubles medal at the Asian Games in 2014," said Sharan.
"It's a little bit early to talk about (Asian Games 2022) but for sure. Both of us are from Delhi and we play a lot together. We are planning to play a lot more doubles together. I have had success in the past there and that is one of my bigger goals this year."
Meanwhile, Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Purav Raja are top seeds in doubles.