By 2010 I will be among top in the world: Yuki Bhambri

India’s sporting history is rich with instances of prodigies who flattered, but only to deceive. However, Yuki Bhambri promises to be an exception.

Sudeshna Guha Roy and Pratik Dogra
Being hailed as the `next big thing` in a sporting success starved nation like India, the label comes with more than its share of pressures. It is not just the opponent that one is up against; huge expectations, un-supportive system and the lack of basic infra-structure are more than enough to reduce anyone to being a bundle of nerves!India’s sporting history is rich with instances of prodigies who flattered, but only to deceive. However, Yuki Bhambri promises to be an exception to the norm. Cool, yet confident; level-headed and unassuming, that’s the first impression we got when we bumped into the lanky 17-year old, who created history early this year, when he became the first ever Indian to win the Australian Open men’s juniors’ title. Yuki’s warmth and humility, hallmarks of a champion, gave us another reason to believe in his potential. In the chit-chat that followed Yuki poured his heart out, much to the benefit of Zeenews.com readers… Excerpts: Ques: Yuki, You come from a family which is into tennis; both your sisters, Sanaa and Ankita, also play tennis. What made you all choose tennis as a career option? Yuki: My family wasn’t really much into tennis until my sisters started playing. My dad was a big fan of Gabriela Sabatini. He used to watch Grand Slams on TV, so in that sense he was quite fond of the sport. In those times, tennis in India had not actually come into the limelight. But my dad wanted to put Ankita into the sport. It was actually Ankita, who started to play the game and eventually Sanaa and I followed. And that’s how we all started playing. Ques: What is your schedule through the day? How long do you practice? Yuki: I practice about 5-6 hours everyday. I train about 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening. It is very time consuming. There is hardly any time left to rest or eat in between. Ques: You must have followed the French Open! Yuki: Yes, very rigorously. I am a big (Rafael) Nadal fan and am very disappointed that he couldn’t make it. But Soderling played well. It was expected. You cannot expect Nadal to win every time he plays. Ques: But Nadal is a better player than Soderling! Yuki: Definitely yes. I mean, you do not expect him to lose to Soderling. It’s just that the day wasn’t good for him. He indeed is a champion. But it’s important to remember that it is a grand slam and anyone is beatable on any day. The players, who are playing in the grand slam, are the best players of the world at that time and anything can happen in a day. It was a bit of a shock. But again, any champion can have a bad day. After all, he is also human. Ques: So was it Nadal not playing well or Soderling playing fabulously? Yuki: I think it was Soderling who played extraordinarily. We saw him demolish the world number 10, Nikolay Davydenko, after that. Things were going his way; you do not have such great days all the time. He also reached the finals of the grand slam opposite Roger Federer.Ques: Most of the tennis players shift their base to the US, as there are better facilities there. What is your take on that? Yuki: Infact, I am based in US and so are most of the young Indian tennis players, as proper facilities are not available here in India. We haven’t really produced a star in the recent past. It has been just one or two people in every 5-10 years. Even if you look in the doubles, then also it is only Leander Paes who won in the French Open finals. In the US, I am in the Nick Bollettieri Tennis academy. There, training given to students is the best. The world’s best players are still training there. Maria Sharapova, Tommy Haas and Andy Murray sometimes come and play there. You get to hit with these great players. So I think it is a great learning experience for youngsters like me. Ques: In the junior circuit, Indians are often at par with the other international players, but then why do we fail to sustain it in the senior level? Yuki: At the junior level, there is still lot of support from the associations. At that age, not everyone is mature enough to understand the professional level. But yes, once we reach there, it is all together a different game as far as the men’s circuit and the junior circuit is concerned. You need to play five sets, for you to be fit for every match. But the problem with Indian players is fitness. And the bigger problem is that we don’t really know how to improve. We do not know how to produce a champion. Ques: Do you think that the government is doing enough to promote the game, like giving scholarships? Yuki: The government is doing it now because of the Commonwealth Games. I think it is high time that we should stop looking at events as an excuse to do something. Development should be happening all the time. It shouldn’t be happening because the Games are approaching. What happens once the 2010 Games are over? We stop again. And for us, who train in the US, we do not have any options back in India. So by the time you come back here, play tournaments and train in India, you are back to square one. You lose that sharpness after a certain point of time. Ques: Do players here have enough sponsors to back them, as even the government doesn’t do much? Yuki: If the government had done enough, the players would not have needed sponsors. It is a huge issue. Ques: Which tournaments are you looking forward to? Yuki: I am planning to play the Wimbledon. But the dates are clashing with India men’s tournament. Let’s see how it goes. Ques: When do you plan to enter the men’s circuit? Yuki: Well 2-3 years from now. That is what I am planning. By 2010, I will be amongst the top tennis players in the world. Ques: Your role model? Yuki: Rafael Nadal. Before Nadal, it was Pete Sampras. Ques: Apart from tennis players, whom do you admire? Yuki: I admire Tiger Woods in golf, and Sachin Tendulkar in cricket.