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| So far so good |
| Aabhas Sharma / New Delhi Feb 08, 2009, 00:05 IST |
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The new year has brought some cheer to Indian tennis and the future looks promising.
For long enough, Indian tennis has relied on two people to carry its flag on the global stage: Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes. When they played doubles together, or with separate partners, these two tennis stars delivered the results, year after year. For a brief period of time, Sania Mirza’s star was on the rise, but inconsistency and injuries started taking a toll, and Mirza slipped down the ladder of rankings.
But the last few weeks have shown that the time has probably come to pass that baton. First, it was Chennai lad Somdev Devvarman, who climbed up to number 154 in the ATP rankings. And, more recently, Yuki Bhambri stunned the world by scooping up the Australian Open Juniors’ title. Will these two youngsters capitalise on great starts and step up to the plate to carry the baton forward?
Why not, says Ramesh Krishnan, former Davis Cup player. “They have the talent and ability but need to perform consistently. Krishnan was, about 30 years ago, where Bhambri is now, when he won the junior titles at Wimbledon and the French Open in 1979. The gulf of class between junior and senior level is massive, and a few lacklustre tournaments can damage your confidence,” says Krishnan.
Bhambri’s Australian Open triumph, however, didn’t surprise many, as he came into the tournament as top seed and had reached the semi finals last year as well. Ranked number one in the world in juniors, experts believed that it was just a matter of time before big wins followed. If anything, it would have been surprising if he had not won the title.
Similarly, anyone who followed Devvarman’s progression chart knew that, if he remained consistent, rewards were just round the corner. He might have failed to win the Chennai Open, but he managed to prove his mettle against quality opposition. Krishnan feels that Devvarman has a more realistic chance of doing well in the next few years, as he has been around for some time now. “He has been around for long, knows the circuit better and I expect 2009 to be a turning point in his career.”
Bhambri, meanwhile, after his maiden Grand Slam triumph, said that he would be focussing more on the senior level but would continue to play Slams at the junior level. At 16, these are still early days for Bhambri and it is a dream start from him.
“It’s a fantastic achievement on his part and something Indian tennis needed at this point,” says ex-Davis Cupper Gaurav Natekar. He will, however, need to focus harder and be extremely consistent. “The fact is that only a handful of players are able to replicate their form from junior to the senior level,” he adds. Even Paes won the Wimbledon juniors in 1990, and though he reached a career-high ranking of 73, he found it tough on the senior level as well.
Krishnan agrees with Natekar’s point of view, but feels that starting early is always a good thing, especially in a sport like tennis. “He has time on his side and has enormous potential,” he adds.
Bhambri, who used to train at the Mahesh Bhupathi Academy in his early years with Natekar, was tipped for greater things. “He was a great prospect even at that time, and it’s heartening to see him doing well,” he adds. About Devvarman, he says the youngster “looks extremely promising and has it in him to become a real good player”.
With the Mirza-Bhupathi combo winning the mixed doubles title, and Bhambri the juniors, the Australian Open was a memorable one for India. Former players feel confident about the new crop of tennis players coming through the ranks. Even in the women’s side, experts have a lot of hope from Kyra Shroff and Bhambri’s sisters, Sana and Ankita. “It’s good to see youngsters doing well and hopefully they will continue their form at the top level as well,” says Krishnan.
The future looks promising, but let’s not burden these youngsters with too many expectations, pleads Krishnan. “Let them perform consistently and I am sure the future of Indian tennis will be bright.” Let’s hope that’s the case.
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