Money, Delhi Open wild card lure Vishnu, Balaji to nationals

Competing at the National Tennis Championships may not look a progressive move as far as their careers go but Vishnu Vardhan and N Sriram Balaji, who have 13 ITF singles titles between them, have their own valid reasons to be here this week.
Someone who played alongside Leander Paes and against the likes of Jo-Wilfred Tsonga and Michael Llodra at the 2012 London Olympics and actually made a good impression, Vardhan is still grinding it hard on the ITF Circuit.
A right knee injury (tendinitis) hampered Vardhan's progress but at 29, he is not getting any younger. After missing most of the 2014 season, Vardhan is satisfied with his fitness levels and does not mind playing at the ongoing Fenseta Open, which does not give him any ranking points.

But a prize purse of Rs three lakhs, which can take care of his expenses on the ITF circuit for at least two-three weeks plus a wild card for Delhi Open Challengers lured him back here to defend his title.
"I was injured for almost two years. Last year was my comeback year and I won nationals. I have played four singles final this season, and made it to 500 after starting at 900 (rankings). I have always liked playing nationals. The prize money is good and there is a chance to win a wild card. So incentive is there, why should I not play here," Vardhan told PTI after winning his first round.

But does it not reflect that there is no progress?

"If you see from other perspective, if I don't get into top-250 by the end of this year, I won't get a direct entry into Delhi Open. And if you win 3 lakhs it will last 3-4 weeks. My equipment and apparel are taken care of by my employer ONGC but added money will make sense. And this week there is no other tournament I could play. So why not.
"Two years back, I wanted to stay pain free but that was not happening. I am pain free since last year and played 18 tournaments. Next year will be a good year, I am looking to play full circuit (close to 30 weeks).

"The nationals may have lost charm with many international tournaments in India now but money is as good as in a Challenger. It does make sense to play here players who do not have sponsor," Vardhan explained.
Balaji, on the other hand, is the top seed but had to come through qualifying since he sent his entry late.
"I am here after six years. I was trying to play Challengers in Egypt but that got cancelled. Then I tried to play a few Futures there but there was festival time in Egypt and I did not get the visa on time.

"And another reason is that my sister is getting married later this month for which I need to have two-three weeks off, so if I don't play here that will be like a month and a half break from tennis. So I decided to play here and get some matches. So I can go for Pune Challenger without going out of shape," Balaji, who won his first round yesterday, said.
"If I win the tournament, I will get wild card for Delhi Open which I need because my ranking is dropping. Our goal is to be top-100, playing here will not get us points but taking one week out for nationals is not bad for us."

Not only the players will gain if they win but it will also be good for the national championships to have professional players competing.