Somdev Devvarman: Indian Hopes Rise Again

ATP Chennai Open 2009 singles winner was maybe Marin Cilic, but the highlight and the spotlight of the entire event was the Indian package: "Somdev Devvarman" or "Som" for short. A surprise finalist who had a walkover in the semis due to Rainer Scheuttler's wrist injury, he played some brilliant and amazing tennis.

Rainer's injury may have stirred controversy but Som's surprise upsets over former World No. 1 and two time Chennai Open winner Carlos Moya and the looming figure of Ivo Karlovic left no doubts about the abundance of his talent in the minds of his critics.

And to add sheen to his already added glory, his efforts have merited him a wild card in the Oz Open this year. It also validates his decision to pursue tennis when everyone was almost against his decision to move to California in order to give it a more serious thought.

The last Indian men's singles player who played at any Grand Slam was Prakash Amritraj, son of India's former Wimbledon Semifinalist Vijay Amritraj and this was seven years ago at the US Open in 2002.

Som's mercurial rise promises a lot for us Indians. It gives rise to the hope that one day, there will be an Indian among the top 50 players or better still, an Indian will win a Grand Slam Singles title.

Although these dreams are too, too far away for the time being, I hope Som continues his fantastic run at the Oz Open. At this moment it is probably next to impossible for him to try and make a bid amidst the best players across the globe, but however he fares, it doesn't matter because its just the first time. These things take time.

Another fact about Som is that he appears to have the required stamina to play long and dragging matches. Lack of stamina is one of the perennial problems that Indian players face and that is the main reason why there are more Indians playing doubles than singles.

Even the aforementioned Vijay Amritraj couldn't convert his Semifinal matches because he too lacked the stamina to go on for five sets. But Som, at least right now, is not showing any signs of such weakness. He rallies well and hard, hits forceful winners and more often forces his opponents onto the backfoot.

All said there is one major fact that needs to be taken into consideration and which cannot be overlooked. Som doesn't have a full time coach and if he wants to make it big, he will have to sort this out.

The right person to hone on his talent will propel him forward among the big names and perhaps when that happens, the world will probably see an Indian rule acknowledging it.