Somdev Devvarman: The pin-up boy

Biswajit Jha Somdev Devvarman’s phoenix-like rise as the new hope of Indian tennis is nothing short of a fairy-tale. From being a college level player in USA just a year back, he has taken the tennis world by surprise in Chennai Open and heralded himself as a worthy contender to carry the baton of Indian tennis from Leander Paes. Being one of the most successful college level players ever in the history of American tennis is one thing and reaching the final of an ATP event is an entirely different one and that too within a year of turning pro! Somdev’s heroics in Chennai have surely ushered in a new era of Indian tennis that is dogged by ego-clashes between the stars and poor supply of talent from the grass-root level. It seems that Rohan Bopanna, Prakash Amritraj and others lack the talent, gusto and firepower to be successful in the bad world of men’s singles tennis. Leander Paes is too old to carry forward the aspiration of Indian tennis fans. Others simply don’t belong to that category needed to be a successful singles player. Looking at India’s awful performance in recent times, especially in the singles, Somdev’s achievement will inspire every sports lover in the country, who longs to witness that particular moment when an Indian will lift the Grand Slam trophy. Before Somdev’s emergence, it was Leander Paes, who single-handedly carried the legacy of Indian tennis left behind by Ramanathan Krishnan, Vijay Amritraj and Ramesh Krishnan for a long time. But this Junior Wimbledon Champion somehow lost in transition as a singles player and never achieved, what he himself promised early in his career. Though he achieved some rare feats, like winning Olympic bronze medal for India and thumping several top stars of world tennis while playing in the Davis Cup, he, as a singles player, failed either to break into the top 20 or do something extraordinary in any of the Grand Slam events. It’s in doubles that he revived his career later on, when he decided to stitch a partnership with Mahesh Bhupathi. Though they did win several Grand Slams in doubles, neither Leander nor Bhupathi was able to show their talent in singles. No wonder that Leander Paes has a very high opinion about the new tennis icon: “Somdev Devvarman is a clean boy and works hard. He is conscientious about his work ethic. Most importantly, he has got some good people around him. He is the ideal player to carry the mantle of Indian tennis on his shoulders.” Vijay Amritraj, who is one of the rarest breeds of Indian tennis to reach last eight stages of Grand Slam events, also heaped praise on Somdev. "Somdev had a wonderful season in 2008. He is young and mentally focused. He has a tremendous attitude on the court. But he needs to attack more to develop his game further. I am sure Somdev holds a bright future and he will bring more laurels to the country," Amritraj said. Devvarman plays the way he appears - a fighter, complete with headband and all - and one who simply refuses to give in no matter who the opponent or what the match situation is. For sure, Carlos Moya who was defeated by Somdev, had readily testified to all these attributes. The Spaniard, ever graceful in defeat, was so impressed with Devvarman’s game that he proclaimed: “He is better than his ranking. He has a solid game and is not a typical serve-and-volley player. I think, he has the potential to break into top 100 and even top 50.” Now, that he made the world to look at him, it’s time that he should improve his skills and take his game to a new level from where he will be able to fulfill the dreams of millions of Indians by lifting a Grand Slams trophy.