Some facts about Somdev Devvarman:
1) Current Rank: 71 (best Indian ranking since Ramesh Krishnan)
2) Won 2 NCAA singles titles consecutively (only 3 people did that in history)
3) He brought India back into the Davis cup world group after 11 years
Here is a clip of him playing against Rafael Nadal:
Excerpts from the Interview:
What have been the finer adjustments in your game this year?
It (2010) was a good year but I have always felt that I had a lot more in my game, that I could really take it forward and play better tennis. Towards the end of 2010, I tried to translate much of that to my game, so I focused on getting stronger, fitter and run down every ball. Once that is in place, I could stop worrying about much else. I worked upon my serve, quite a bit on coming forward and finishing points on the net, and also improving my forehand.
What is the one thing you’d like to improve right now in your game?
I have been serving better, but it’s been on and off. I want to make it more consistent and make it a weapon to reckon with, something I can rely on and trouble opponents with more consistently.
Many top international players have been known to skip the Davis Cup. With your singles career now taking off well, do you also face this dilemma?
Not yet luckily. Davis Cup has always been a priority for me. I have not been playing a long while in Davis Cup; only for the past two years. I take a lot of pride in playing for India and I don’t foresee any problems in my playing for my country.
You’ve played both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal this year. Comparing the two, who do you think is more beatable and stands a better chance of pushing the limit?
If you look at the scoreline, it’s pretty simple to guess (Federer won 6-3, 6-3, Nadal won 7-5, 6-4). But both are great players, and have humbled a lot of other good tennis players. A lot depends on the day, if you show up and feel ready to play, then I think you have a good chance.
Interview conducted by livemint.com: The Complete Interview
1) Current Rank: 71 (best Indian ranking since Ramesh Krishnan)
2) Won 2 NCAA singles titles consecutively (only 3 people did that in history)
3) He brought India back into the Davis cup world group after 11 years
Here is a clip of him playing against Rafael Nadal:
Excerpts from the Interview:
What have been the finer adjustments in your game this year?
It (2010) was a good year but I have always felt that I had a lot more in my game, that I could really take it forward and play better tennis. Towards the end of 2010, I tried to translate much of that to my game, so I focused on getting stronger, fitter and run down every ball. Once that is in place, I could stop worrying about much else. I worked upon my serve, quite a bit on coming forward and finishing points on the net, and also improving my forehand.
What is the one thing you’d like to improve right now in your game?
I have been serving better, but it’s been on and off. I want to make it more consistent and make it a weapon to reckon with, something I can rely on and trouble opponents with more consistently.
Many top international players have been known to skip the Davis Cup. With your singles career now taking off well, do you also face this dilemma?
Not yet luckily. Davis Cup has always been a priority for me. I have not been playing a long while in Davis Cup; only for the past two years. I take a lot of pride in playing for India and I don’t foresee any problems in my playing for my country.
You’ve played both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal this year. Comparing the two, who do you think is more beatable and stands a better chance of pushing the limit?
If you look at the scoreline, it’s pretty simple to guess (Federer won 6-3, 6-3, Nadal won 7-5, 6-4). But both are great players, and have humbled a lot of other good tennis players. A lot depends on the day, if you show up and feel ready to play, then I think you have a good chance.
Interview conducted by livemint.com: The Complete Interview
Is he the one who was playing in Santa Cruz last yr?
ReplyDeleteYes, he was the one who played at the Aptos Challenger.
ReplyDelete