Somdev’s Lonely Struggle

At No. 70 in the world rankings, he is not exactly a hero. But it took something near heroic to get even here

By Akshay Sawai

THE SOUND OF VICTORY When Somdev won the Challenger for the first time, he bought himself a Takamine guitar. When he broke into the top 100, he got an Ibanez electric

Andre Agassi up. He was not sure where. He dragged his feet to the window of his hotel room and looked outside. The skyline told him where he was in Shanghai, China.

Professional tennis does this to you. Every week, you fly to a new country. You do this the whole year. The plane or the hotel is your hometown. If you are a top 20 player, you can at least blunt the edge with luxury. Else, it is a rough, lonely, expensive grind. Big paydays for mid-level players are sporadic. And a lot of that money goes towards coaching fees and travel. To take up tennis as a career, therefore, you have to be either privileged or passionate to the point of being irrational. More than anything else, you have to be mentally tough.

So don’t say, “Oh, Somdev Devvarman? He is 26 and only No. 70. Borg retired at 26 and was a legend by 25.” Keep your expectations relative to the Indian situation. Indian tennis is run by thugs. Mostly. Physically, we are still at a disadvantage compared to heftier people. Somdev is 5 ft 11 inch in his shoes, which is a great height for a Bollywood Khan, but average for a contemporary tennis player. And yet, he has put himself on the tennis ascent, and has climbed 40 places in the rankings since January. We should support this guy.

The last six months have been the best of Somdev’s career. He warmed up by winning the singles gold in the Commonwealth Games (CWG). A month later, he won the singles and doubles gold at the Asian Games. In February, he reached the final of the SA Open in Johannesburg, his second ATP Tour final after the 2009 Chennai Open. In March, he won five matches, including two qualifiers, to reach the fourth round of the ATP Masters 1000 in Indian Wells, US, eventually losing to Rafael Nadal. His victims included Xavier Malisse and Marcos Baghdatis. Most recently, he defeated world No. 26 Guillermo Garcia Lopez, in the Serbian Open on clay, not Somdev’s best surface. Along the way, there were Davis Cup heroics and an encounter with Roger Federer in Dubai. Though Federer won easily, the experience was a highpoint for Somdev.

“It’s tough to pick out one particular match,” Somdev says of this fecund period. “I’ve been playing good tennis and the results have been satisfactory. Playing Roger Federer was special, though, since I look up to him as a player and a person.” Asked what struck him about the games of Nadal and Federer, he says, “The consistency with which they hit the ball, almost every shot.”

If stock market analogies are used to define Somdev, he is a solid, reliable share that over a few years will give decent returns. There won’t be huge profits or losses. His record shows that he hasn’t shot up or sunk. He has gained steadily. As a University of Virginia student, Somdev won the important NCAA crown in 2007 and 2008. In the 2007 final, he beat John Isner, the man who last year won the longest ever tennis match—the 11 hour 5 minute Wimbledon 2010 first round against Nicolas Mahut. In 2008, Somdev turned pro. Now, he has reached world No. 70. This is better than Leander Paes, India’s singles flagbearer before Somdev. Paes’ highest career ranking was No. 73.

Though Somdev reached the final in Chennai in 2009 and in Johannesburg this year, he rates his Indian Wells performance higher.

“All three tournaments were very different. Chennai was when I had just started my pro career, playing in front of a home crowd. Jo’berg was away, playing against home favourites. Both those however were ATP 250. Indian Wells was a Masters 1000. The field is much tougher, so it was probably a more creditable performance.”

He then compares playing in the Commonwealth Games or Asian Games to the ATP tour. “In events like the CWG or Asian Games, you’re representing your country. So by default you are carrying the hopes of an entire nation and you don’t want to disappoint them.”

Also, “The toughest part about playing on the ATP tour is the constant moving around, finding yourself in a different place every week, being away from home, family and friends. It takes a little bit of getting used to.”

What drives him to continue this arduous mission? “My love for the game. I think it’s amazing that I can make a living doing something I love.”

You expect him to evade questions on the corrupt ways of the Indian tennis administration. But he is reasonably frank. “They have to take some blame, of course [for the sorry state of Indian tennis]. But I’m sure they’re doing the best they know how to.”

Somdev looks like the kid brother of Ronaldinho. But Ronaldinho was flamboyant, an embodiment of Joga Bonito (Portuguese for ‘play beautifully’, a term Nike uses in some promotions). Somdev, which means God of the Moon, is more earthy. He is a grafter. Retrieving ability, backed by limitless stamina, is the cornerstone of his tennis. “Movement and my ability to retrieve balls are definitely some of the stronger aspects of my game,” says Somdev.

One could, however, see in his recent performances, including the one against Nadal, that Somdev was not just keeping the ball in play but taking some risks. He is also working on his serve, which he feels is still weak.

Somdev is a Tripuri born in Guwahati, Assam. He also has strong connections with Chennai because he lived there as a child. While his roots are firmly Indian, he mostly plays abroad. He lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, more than in Agartala, his hometown, or Chennai. Besides, the tennis circuit has few Indians on it. But he says he never feels estranged from his nationality. Interest in tennis goes up in India only during the Grand Slams. Asked if this makes his a lonely battle, Somdev says, “India is mainly a cricket-watching nation. I’m not trying to change that. I play because I enjoy the game, and if some people enjoy watching me play, I’m happy.”

The subject changes to the cricket World Cup. Does the mass euphoria make him feel he chose the wrong sport, I wonder aloud. Or has he made peace with the lowly status accorded other sports in India vis-à-vis cricket?

“I did watch some of the matches,” he says. “I was in Houston during the finals and I woke up early to watch it on my computer. The big responses to cricket victories don’t bother me. I’m also a part of those celebrations. But it would be nice to see other athletes get the same kind of support and recognition.”

Till that happens, he buys himself an occasional gift. Mostly, it is guitars. “I bought a Takamine after my first Challenger win in 2008. When I broke the top 100 (for the first time) last summer, I bought an Ibanez electric.”