There have been fairly just a few worldwide tennis tournaments at house within the first quarter of this season, particularly for the boys. Few capitalised on them the best way Ramkumar Ramanathan did, together with his exploits in each singles and doubles.
After successful the doubles titles within the first two Challengers in Chennai and Bengaluru with Saketh Myneni, the 29-year-old Ramkumar shone shiny within the Pune Challenger, briefly although, by knocking out the champion of the Bengaluru occasion Stefano Napolitano of Italy.
Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan who received the doubles finals on the Chennai Open
| Photo Credit:
Ravindran R
Later, after serving to his employer Indian Oil to a bunch of medals in particular person and group occasions within the Petroleum inter-unit occasion, Ramkumar received the singles title in Delhi within the $25,000 ITF event and completed runner-up the subsequent week in Chandigarh.
An amiable individual with a cheerful smile, Ramkumar might have usually been misunderstood, or as some might understand, wrongly projected, however he opted to debate quite a lot of matters, very frankly.
THE GIST
The Hangzhou Asian Games doubles silver with Myneni was a giant morale-booster for Ramkumar, particularly after all of the criticism that he was chosen forward of 10 better-ranked gamers
With little one coach Chandrasekaran travelling with him for many of the tournaments, he says he feels at house
The Paris Olympics is not far away and there are just a few who imagine Ramkumar will make the perfect companion for Bopanna
Momentum again
“I have enjoyed the pain and everything which comes with it, the wins and losses. I feel my fitness has picked up and my momentum is back with some good matches in the last six months. God willing, the best is yet to come,” mentioned Ramkumar when congratulated for his good work.
Starting with the Davis Cup tie in opposition to Pakistan in Islamabad, adopted by 4 Challengers, and two ITF occasions, it has been steady tennis for many weeks. Ramkumar, who was ranked a career-best 111 in singles in 2018 and 58 in doubles in 2022, paced himself properly to shine shiny from begin to end.
“I am happy and have learnt a lot over these weeks. I had good wins along the way, and pushed myself to get some matches the last two weeks of singles. I feel that I can be there at the top again. I have been putting a lot of work back in Chennai. I have also been doing a lot of small things, like keeping a book and noting down points, reminding myself the way I want to approach every match. It helps me to stay in the present and be better on court. I am proud the way I competed all these eight weeks, irrespective of the results. I will keep working on the points to improve,” mentioned Ramkumar.
The end was robust. It may have been two singles titles, however Khumoyun Sultanov of Uzbekistan was capable of beat Ramkumar within the last in Chandigarh within the second ITF event.
Never simple
“It is never easy to play a level down, after playing the Challengers. I knew that I would have tough matches, and prepared myself to fight for every single point, physically and mentally.
These two weeks were a fight for me. Just a bit disappointed about the result in the final against Sultanov. I had many break points, and 0-30 situation on opponent’s serve. Just could not capitalise. I have noted as to what I could have done better. I am happy that tennis is coming along on the right track. Obviously a lot of things to work for the next events,” mentioned Ramkumar, as he put issues in perspective.
Exhilarating expertise
The Challengers, 4 of them in a row in Chennai, Bengaluru, Pune and Delhi, did present plenty of cheer for Ramkumar. But earlier than that was the exhilarating expertise of the Davis Cup in Islamabad.
“It was a great idea to have the preparatory camp in Delhi for the Davis Cup, and get some rhythm on grass”, mentioned Ramkumar, as he thanked the captain Rohit Rajpal, the coaches and the physios for their function in making ready the group properly.
India’s Ramkumar Ramanathan throughout the Davis Cup 2024 tennis match between India and Pakistan.
| Photo Credit:
FILE PHOTO
It was a thriller for Ramkumar in opposition to the outdated warfare horse, Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi. Ramkumar prevailed 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 6-0 within the first rubber in three units. That set the tone for India’s 4-0 triumph within the Davis Cup tie in Pakistan.
However, at 3-4 and 15-40 within the second set, it was a tough state of affairs for Ramkumar and the Indian camp. Ramkumar fired 20 aces within the match and wriggled out of the tight nook for a memorable victory, changing 4 of six breakpoints to seal the rubber.
“I don’t think that I played a bad first set. But Aisam played clutch on first to win it in the tie-break. Our box was full of energy. I felt it and it helped me stay with him and keep it close. I am glad that I was able to turn it around and get that vital point for India. It was a nail biting match with so much of emotions. My dear friend Aisam played out of the world. All the Pakistan team members were extremely friendly. I was happy that tennis united us. Extremely happy that we won the tie on their soil. Was happy that I gave a chance for Niki Poonacha, to play the final rubber, as he is a great guy and has been doing well lately. I was glad that he got his first win. Sriram Balaji also played his part and of course, Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni got us home safely with the doubles. Overall, a brilliant team effort,” mentioned Ramkumar.
After the emotional excessive, it was again to the professional circuit and Ramkumar tuned himself for the aggressive grind.
“As soon as I finished Davis Cup in Pakistan, I had to fly directly to Chennai for the singles match the next day. So, I prepared as much as I could, but couldn’t get the job done against my Spanish opponent Roca Batalla.
“We train at the same club in Barcelona. I was sad after singles. But I was happy that me and Saketh fought hard and won the doubles title. Was happy getting a couple of good wins in singles in the Bengaluru Challenger. Fought hard and the reward came. My level was good, and I had a chance in the quarterfinals. But, due to a few bad line calls, I lost the quarterfinals in a close match. Me and Sake won the doubles again, which was great. Got to Pune on Monday, and played a fantastic match against Stefano Napolitano, from being a set point down, I won the match in two tie-breaks. I lost to the Russian Alexey Zakharov in the second match, even though I played well. In doubles, me and Saketh lost the semifinals by playing a very average match, which we could have won,” mentioned Ramkumar as he jogged via his reminiscence.
The fourth Challenger in Delhi was laborious to digest. “When I came to Delhi, the conditions were completely different. I was also a bit tired, and was struggling to adapt. So, I had a tough outing in Delhi, which is acceptable and no comments on that”, mentioned Ramkumar.
Quite thoughtfully, Ramkumar thanked all event Directors, Hiten Joshi, Sunil Yajaman, Sunder Iyer, Richa Bakshi and the AITA Secretary General, Anil Dhupar, for giving him the singles wild playing cards “with no questions asked”.
Ramkumar assured that he would proceed to deal with his singles sport and maintain getting higher.
“I have proved myself doing well in singles. The focus will remain on singles and doubles. I love competing. I know the road ahead is not easy, but it is possible and I believe in myself, which is the most important thing. I will put in the work and leave the rest to the Almighty,” he mentioned.
The Asian Games doubles silver medal with Saketh Myneni in Hangzhou was a giant morale-booster for Ramkumar, particularly after all of the criticism that he was chosen forward of 10 better-ranked gamers.
“I want to thank God for making me achieve what I did in the Asian Games. I played a good singles match also, but lost to the eventual runner-up Yosuke Watanuki, in a close three-setter. I was very happy that I got the chance to play doubles and even more happy to win the medal. I believe that everything happens for a reason. I was there because I deserved to be there. I am ok with criticism. The selection was made by the committee and not me. In the past, I was higher ranked than others and was excluded. I was hurt then, but respected the decision of the committee. So, I was a bit sad, and didn’t like it, to see other players questioning my selection in the media. It is in the past now. Me and Sake played well. We got better with each match. I have the medal. It could have been gold and it could have been no medal also,” he mentioned.
Best companion
The Olympics in Paris is across the nook. There are just a few who imagine that Ramkumar will make the perfect companion for Rohan Bopanna for a shot on the medal.
“Bops is a phenomenal player. He is a great example for all of us, especially the way he became World No. 1 at 43. I am happy that I won two of my biggest titles with Bops. I will cherish them all my life. I have so much respect for him. I will be happy to play Olympics with Bops, and we could be very dangerous together as a pair, as we have 100% record in ATP events. And I am feeling good with my tennis. I am sure Bops will agree on this! Jokes apart, it is Bops’ decision on who he has the best shot with at the Olympics. Always wish him well regardless of his choice,” mentioned Ramkumar.
With his little one coach T. Chandrasekaran travelling for most of his tournaments within the current spell, Ramkumar was fairly at house, competing at his finest.
“I am grateful to have Chandra sir these weeks for the Indian stretch. I am grateful for his continuing contribution to my tennis career. He has been extremely supportive. He keeps making me believe that I can get into the top-100 in singles, and keeps motivating me from his heart. He is one of the main reason for me playing tennis and has made a huge contribution to my career,” mentioned Ramkumar.
For the final two tournaments in Delhi and Chandigarh, Ramkumar had his mom Alagammal and father Ramanathan, taking turns to be with him.
“Mom surprised me by coming to Delhi. It worked out well. She was my lucky charm and the singles title in Delhi will be special as I won the tournament in front of her. She should come more often. I am grateful and thankful to God that I made her proud,” mentioned Ramkumar.
He is sort of used to having his father round in occasions. “My dad was enjoying his time in Chandigarh. I gave him a few heart attacks on way to the finals! But, had another positive week. It was tough mentally for me as I was physically a little drained. I pushed myself to the limit and competed well. I was happy to hear my dad say, ‘Ram you are playing well.’ Very rarely he says that but he meant it. Without my dad, I wouldn’t be travelling the world and playing tennis. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank my Appa and Amma for putting me in the sport, through a lot of struggles and sacrifices, in the early days. I still remember, Appa taking me in a scooter for fitness at 6 a.m. and then to tennis every day. My sister Uma is also extremely supportive,” mentioned Ramkumar.
It has been a captivating journey and Ramkumar is eager and energetic so as to add many extra vigorous chapters to his tennis profession.
