THE HINDU

TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 2012

YOUNGWORLD

HOLDING

COURT
Arjuna awardee Somdev talks about his passion for the game. And about the advantage he had by starting when he was barely ve!

PHOTO: REUTERS

eres someone who has made a career out of a game he enjoyed playing when he was barely out of the cradle. For Somdev Devvarman it has been his dream to be able to play tennis professionally, and he has worked hard to achieve this dream. It has been hard work all the way, and he did not give up. In a free wheeling chat he speaks about this game which means so much to him. How I got interested in tennis is interesting. My older brother used to play tennis and I used to tag along with him and my father. The coach said I was too young (I was ve at the time) to start playing. So my father would play wall-tennis with me. I guess that's where the interest started. Somdev feels he is rather lucky because he discovered his love for tennis when he was still young and then he was able to decide that he wanted to make it his career. The decision was both easy and hard. As a student he had a lot of commitments. With a little juggling he was able to manage. Thanks to his mother his tness and diet routines were taken care of. My mother made sure I ate healthy and got enough rest. But today, under professional care, Somdev admits that his tness and diet

plans are now more regimented.

Tennis anyone?
Everyone thinks that when playing a game being t is the only thing that is necessary. Here he begs to differ. He says, discipline, training and a passion for the game are equally essential. While I was in school, I'd play tennis for an hour in the morning and then two hours after school. It was a commitment to the game that he was not willing to break. And a commitment, that probably, did not allow him much time to hang out with his friends. But it is this dedication to the game that helped in the long run. By the time he was 14 years old he had already decided that he wanted to take up tennis seriously and make it a career. If you had not become a tennis player what you would have lbeen? He laughs as he says, If I wasn't a .........................................................

DISCIPLINE, TRAINING, A PASSION FOR THE GAME AND FITNESS ARE ESSENTIAL TO SUCCEED IN THE GAME.

tennis player I'd probably have become a musician! He loves listening to blues music and plays the acoustic guitar. Sometimes you have to decide what is more important study or extra curricular activities. For Somdev tennis and getting a good education were both very important. So he had to make sure he allocated enough time to both. He had a good support system and that helped a great deal. His parents encouraged him in his choice of career and backed him all the way. My parents did not need any convincing. They are, and have always been, very supportive of me and my decision to pursue tennis as a profession. My teachers and classmates were also very understanding. School authorities gave me leave sanctions allowing me to attend half day of school and then leaving to play tournaments. Ask him about home and he is quick to say that it is Agartala, although he lives and trains in Austin, Texas. His career keeps him travelling approximately 35 weeks a year. A busy schedule no doubt, but he still manages to nd time to visit his family in Agartala. (As told to ARCHANA SUBRAMANIAN)

Briey
Somdev Kishore Devvarman was born on February 13, 1985. He made headlines when he became the only collegiate player to have made three consecutive nals at the NCAA, winning back-toback nals in his junior and senior years. Only three other players have matched that record since 1950. His 441 win-loss record in 2008 at NCAA Men's Tennis Championship is unparalleled. His best achievement so far on the ATP World Tour has been reaching the nals of the Chennai Open in 2009, as a wild card entry. In 2010, Somdev won the Gold medal in the Men's Singles event of XIXth Commonwealth Games at the R.K. Khanna Tennis Stadium in New Delhi and followed it up with both Men's Singles and Doubles Gold in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. In 2011, Devvarman received the Arjuna Award from the Indian government. Devvarman bowed out of the 2011 Wimbledon men's singles second round with a 26, 46, 46 defeat to 18th seed Mikhail Youzhny of Russia. In the Atlanta Tennis Championships Somdev reached the quarternals, where he lost to Mardy Fish 46, 36. The two people who inspire him the most are Martin Luther King Jr., and Mahatma Gandhi. Does he get time to read? Well, sometimes. He has read all the Harry Potter books and of course, Lord PHOTO: PTI of the Rings.

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