CHENNAI: Indian men's tennis has never had it so good. At least in the recent past. Before April 2nd week, there are going to be a total of seven international events, including three Challengers, slated to be hosted in the country. Considering the country has not hosted this many events in such a short space of time, it's a welcome relief for the players whose one familiar refrain has been a 'lack of events at home'.
The problem, though, is that Indian men's tennis has never had it so bad. At least in the recent past. There's not a single player ranked inside the top 300. The best is Prajnesh Gunneswaran, who's No. 306. The second-best is Sasikumar Mukund (No. 398). Net effect? They will have to rely on wild cards to make the main draw of these Challengers. Two of them — Gunneswaran and Ramkumar Ramanathan — have received wild cards for the Chennai Open, which begins on Monday (qualifiers from Sunday). It doesn't help that some established names have totally turned their backs on singles play altogether. This drop in standards was felt in last week's Davis Cup where India lost to Denmark to be relegated to World Group II for the first time ever.
It's in this context that the three back-to-back Challengers gain some significance. It allows Indian players to be at home where they know the conditions better than the foreigners. Ramanathan, whose rankings have been on a downward trend for a while before it dipped sharply to 438 last December (it's now 412), spoke about the importance of the upcoming swing. "It's always good to have back-to-back events at home," he said. "We know the conditions here, they won't be alien to us."
One of the things being blamed for India's no-show in singles is the bizarre preference of the players to become doubles specialists. Ramanathan, whose doubles career has blossomed off late, though, refused to rule out a resurgence in his singles career. "I always enjoy playing doubles. I play doubles in every event when I play singles. But it's not like I have stopped playing singles. The only secret to climbing back up is hard work and I will keep doing that." He also refused to blame the team for the Davis Cup loss to Denmark. "I wouldn't blame anybody. There is enough talent. Praj (Gunneswaran) has cracked the top 100. Yuki has cracked the top 100. Some of us have been on the fringes (of the top 100). It's a matter of a few points and we can climb back up."
One player who did play and lose in Denmark was Sumit Nagal, another player who has been on the fringes (122). He's now ranked 509. On Sunday morning, he will play one of the first qualifying matches. A win would not only do him a world of good but also provide Indian men's singles tennis a tonic. They have been devoid of those in recent times.
International events in the country till April 9
Challengers in India
Chennai; Bengaluru; Pune
ITF World Tour meets
New Delhi; Lucknow; Mysuru; Chennai