EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW - Somdev Devvarman

Indian tennis sensation Somdev Devvarman spoke to The Indian Tennis Blog about life after his giant-killing run to the final of the 2009 Chennai Open.

How helpful was the 3-week training with Andy Roddick before the Chennai Open. Did it play a part in your performance last week?
It was an incredible experience, training with Andy. He and Coach Larry Stefanki gave me some really good tips. Also training with someone who has been in the top 10 of the world for many years gave me great insight into how hard I need to work. It definitely had a big role in my performance in Chennai.

Any ranking goals for 2009?
I've never set any goals for myself as far as rankings are concerned. I just want to keep working hard and enjoying the hard work. The rankings will take care of themselves.

Any expectations from the Australian Open?
I go into the Australian Open with a lot of confidence as I feel I'm playing well. I have worked hard in the off season to prepare for a good showing in the Australian Open.

Which is your favourite career win - Moya, Karlovic, Kendrick (Lexington)...?
Probably Moya. He has been a former world No. 1 and he has been in top flight tennis for over a decade.

Given the Somdev-mania in India right now, it seems only a matter of time before you are offered your first ad. Will we see you endorsing something soon?
Well, I don't really concern myself with it. I have an excellent Management company in Mamba International and they will look after that aspect. I just want to keep my focus on playing tennis.

(Click here for another interview by Somdev Devvarman to The Indian Tennis Blog in October 2007, more than a year ago -- when he hadn't turned professional yet)

FROM THE ARCHIVES
Somdev Devvarman wins at Lexington, his fourth title in a row

Somdev Devvarman misses out on ACC player honour

Twin triumph for Somdev Devvarman at Rochester

Somdev Devvarman's twin triumph at Florida

Somdev Devvarman in Davis Cup spotlight

It may be the biggest test yet of his fledgling tennis career but Somdev Devvarman is oozing confidence ahead of India's crucial Davis Cup World Group playoff tie against Romania this weekend.

The 23-year-old Devvarman, India's next big tennis hope, told the Indian Tennis Blog he hoped to give the tie his best shot.

On the eve of the Davis Cup tie against Romania, how confident do you feel of India's victory?
I feel like India is very prepared for this tie. We are all playing good tennis right now and we're looking forward to some great matches this weekend.

Do you feel you are in the best form possible for this tie?
I definitely feel like I'm playing some great tennis right now. I wouldn't say my best yet but let's hope it comes out when I really need it this weekend.

Somdev Devvarman wins at Lexington, his fourth title in a row

Winning one tennis tournament is hard enough, winning four on the trot may seem impossible. But not for Somdev Devvarman.

The reigning NCAA champion picked up his fourth consecutive title from as many tournaments when he beat American Robert Kendrick in the final of the Lexington Challenger on Sunday.

Devvarman prevailed 6-3, 6-3 to win the $50,000 event, his biggest triumph yet -- one that may vault him 200 places into the Top 350 when the ATP ranking list is released on Monday. (Update: Devvarman rose from 566 to 345)

The 23-year-old Indian lost just two sets the entire week -- in his upset win over second seed Bobby Reynolds in Round 2 and his opening match in the qualifiers. In all, he came through eight matches to win his first Challenger title.

Devvarman has remained unbeaten on the pro tour since passing out of the University of Virginia in May -- with trophies at the $10,000 Buffalo Bills tournament in Rochester, the $10,000 Futures event in Pittsburgh, New York's Kennedy Funding Invitational and now at Lexington.

Currently ranked 566 on the ATP list, the lanky Indian beat Top-100 players Sam Querrey and Dudi Sela in New York before beating number 92 Reynolds this week.




$50,000 FIFTH THIRD BANK TENNIS CHALLENGER, Lexington, USA
(July 21 - 27, 2008)
HARD, PLEXIPAVE COURT
Men's Singles Final
Somdev Devvarman beat (3)Robert Kendrick(USA) 6-3,6-3
Semifinal
beat Xavier Malisse(BEL) 4-1 (retired)
Quarterfinal
beat Andrea Stoppini(ITA) 7-6(6),6-1
Round 2
(2)Bobby Reynolds(US) 6-7(4),7-5,6-4
Round 1
beat Jamie Baker(GB) 7-5,6-2
Qualifying Round 3
beat (7)Jose Statham(NZ) 6-2,6-2
Round 2
beat Marcus Fugate(USA) 6-0,6-0
Round 1
beat (3)Takao Suzuki(JPN) 6-2,2-6,7-6(7)

Devvarman now heads to Vancouver to try and continue his unbeaten streak at the $100,000 Odlum Brown Open -- a feat that will surely make his Top-100 peers sit up and take notice.

In a poll conducted by the Indian Tennis Blog in December, 48 per cent picked Devvarman as the "Indian player to watch out for in 2008".

(Photos from Lexington tournament website)

Somdev Devvarman misses out on ACC player honour

Reigning NCAA tennis champion Somdev Devvarman of India has missed out on the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Male Athlete of the Year honour, finishing eight votes behind eventual winner basketball player Tyler Hansbrough.

The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953, the ACC's 12 member universities compete in twenty sports in the NCAA Division I.

Of the 67 members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association who determined the winner, 20 voted for Devvarman. Baseball player Buster Posey was third with 12 votes.

As the league’s top male performer, Hansbrough was announced the winner of the Anthony J. McKevlin Award on Tuesday.

Somdev Devvarman, 23, passed out of the University of Virginia in May and has started his pro career on a winning note with victories at the $10,000 Buffalo Bills tournament in Rochester, the $10,000 Futures event in Pittsburgh and New York's Kennedy Funding Invitational.

Devvarman, currently ranked 566 on the ATP list, beat Top-100 players Sam Querrey and Dudi Sela in New York.

This week, he beat number 92 Bobby Reynolds in the $50,000 ATP Challenger event in Lexington, USA.

In a poll conducted by the Indian Tennis Blog in December, 48 per cent picked Devvarman as the "Indian player to watch out for in 2008".

Twin triumph for Somdev Dev Varman at Rochester

Wimbledon 2008 may have ended early for some of India's tennis stars but across the Atlantic Ocean a lanky 23-year-old proved just why he is the country's next big tennis hope.

On Sunday, Somdev Dev Varman won both the singles and doubles titles at the $10,000 Buffalo Bills tournament in Rochester. The double NCAA champion had been playing his first professional tournament since passing out of the University of Virginia last month.

And the victory, his second Futures title on US soil this year, was especially sweet -- the eighth seed breezed through his five matches in straight sets. In fact, his first two opponents couldn't win a single game.

After he beat American Alexander Domijan 6-2, 6-2 in the singles final, Dev Varman was back on court with college mate Treat Huey, eking out a 6-1,4-6,12-10 win over Americans Bryan Koniecko and Justin Kronauge to claim the doubles title.

Dev Varman, currently ranked 797 on the ATP list, is expected to soar up the rankings thanks to his performance at Rochester and also possibly at the Futures Tournament in Pittsburgh, where he's playing this week.

Dev Varman won the NCAA championship in May for the second year running -- the first Indian to triumph at the premier American collegiate event and emulate the likes of John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe. See INTERVIEW (Oct 2007)

In a poll conducted by the Indian Tennis Blog in December, 48 per cent picked Dev Varman as the "Indian player to watch out for in 2008".

In Ireland, Harsh Mankad was a match away from returning to the winner's circle once again, but a 3-6,4-6 loss to second seed Conor Niland of Ireland put paid to his hopes.

The 28-year-old, making a slow comeback to the Tour after injuries, had earlier upset the top and third seeds at the $15,000 Futures at Limerick.

Another name missing out on tennis action this month was Karan Rastogi. Back problems are becoming Rastogi's bane and the 21-year-old is finding it a challenge just to keep fit.

"I'm in Australia getting it treated so might be out for a little longer," the 609-ranked Rastogi told the Indian Tennis Blog.

Back at Wimbledon, a quick exit in both men's and mixed doubles events finds Mahesh Bhupathi preparing for tournaments in the United States.

Leander Paes and Sania Mirza still survive (as of now) in their respective doubles events but the 2008 grasscourt Grand Slam hasn't been too kind to Indians.

(Photo of Somdev Dev Varman: from the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)
(Photo of Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi: from Wimbledon.org)

Wimbledon 2008 starts with four Indians in focus

Sania Mirza, Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna are in action at Wimbledon this week although it's tough to predict whether any of them will survive till the second week of the grasscourt Grand Slam.

Prakash Amritraj and Sunitha Rao crashed out in the second round of singles qualifying but two other Indians - Yuki Bhambri and Poojashree Venkatesh - will also be battling it out in the junior events.

Mirza, returning from a long break after wrist surgery, will be hoping to better her previous showing at Wimbledon -- reaching the second round in 2005 and 2007.

She's played two tournaments since rejoining the WTA tour and her performance hasn't been exactly impressive.

But the number 32 seed has a slightly easier draw at Wimbledon this year and her most formidable opponent should be defending champion Venus Williams in the third round.

Beating Venus on grass would seem impossible for the Indian number one but Mirza should be more than happy if she makes the elder Williams sweat it out over three sets on Centre Court.

As usual, there's no representation from India in the men's singles - although Bopanna would have been a good bet to make it through the qualifiers, had he played them. But a low ranking forced him to miss the Grand Slam this year. Last week, Bopanna replaced Amritraj as India's number one and hopefully he should be around for the U.S. Open qualifiers.

Bopanna, 28, will be making his debut at Wimbledon in the men's doubles with Pakistan's Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi.

Mahesh Bhupathi is recovering from a few injuries of his own and it remains to be seen if he and Mark Knowles, seeded fourth here, can recapture the form that saw them bag two doubles titles earlier this year.

Leander Paes, who turned 35 last week, seems to be in better form after breaking his lacklustre partnership with Australian Paul Hanley. The Kolkatan partnered Bhupathi to the Ordina Open final last week and reached the Halle final with Czech player Lukas Dlouhy in their first outing. Paes and Dlouhy are seeded ninth here.

This week, Indian tennis fans will also be keeping an eye on the USA F15 Futures in Rochester where double NCAA champion Somdev Dev Varman is playing his first professional match since leaving college.

Somdev Dev Varman's twin triumph at Florida

Mainstream newspapers in India may have ignored news of Somdev Dev Varman's triumph at the USA F1 Futures at Wesley Chapel(Florida) on January 13 but the 22-year-old Indian isn't complaining.

The reigning NCAA champion won the singles title at the $10,000 hardcourt tournament after going through qualifying for the 32-player event - a total of seven matches on the trot.

If that wasn't enough, Dev Varman partnered American Treat Huey to victory in the men's doubles event.

"I played a lot of tough matches beginning with my first round," he told the Indian Tennis Blog. "Overall it was a good learning experience for me and I'm glad I went to play."

Dev Varman is currently ranked a measly 1037 on the ATP Tour, thanks to his decision not to turn professional till mid-2008, when he finishes his stint at the University of Virginia.

"Over the next few months, I am focussed on finishing up school and helping my team to be at the very top of college tennis," he said.

"I'm not sure about what pro tournaments I'll be playing but I will be working on my pro schedule after I graduate soon."

Dev Varman won the NCAA championship in May 2007 - the first Indian to triumph at the premier American collegiate event and emulate the likes of John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe.

In a poll conducted by the Indian Tennis Blog in December, 48 per cent picked Dev Varman as the "Indian player to watch out for in 2008".

Should Somdev Dev Varman turn professional?
	Yes - he's wasting his best formative years
	No - he will peak gradually this way
	Can't say
pollcode.com free polls

Somdev Dev Varman to miss Chennai Open

Rafael Nadal leads a phalanx of tennis stars at India's premier tennis event, the 2008 Chennai Open, but several Indian players will be giving the ATP Tour season opener the cold shoulder. Unfortunately, upcoming player Somdev Dev Varman is now on that list.

Dev Varman admits that the lack of a wildcard was one of the reasons that will keep him away from Nungambakkam Stadium next week.

"Yeah, that and some other things that I had to do also," the reigning NCAA champion told the Indian Tennis Blog. "I am training right now and plan on playing a Futures in Florida and then start the tennis season in school."

The wildcards for the main draw of the 2008 Chennai Open, to be held from December 31 to January 6, have gone the way of India's no. 2 player Prakash Amritraj and Grasscourt National Champion Vishnu Vardhan.

The third, which could have gone to another Indian player like Dev Varman, has been granted to Spaniard Bartolome Salva-Vidal.

The decision puts yet another dampener on a tournament already missing the best known names in Indian tennis.

While doubles specialist Leander Paes starts off his 2008 season on the Australian circuit with new partner Paul Hanley, singles no. 1 Rohan Bopanna will be busy partnering Sania Mirza at the Hopman Cup. And Mahesh Bhupathi will be making his comeback from injury the week after the Chennai event.

Dev Varman is currently ranked a measly 1034 on the ATP Tour, thanks to his decision not to turn professional till mid-2008, when he finishes his stint at the University of Virginia.

But the 22-year-old won the NCAA championship in May 2007 - the first Indian to triumph at the premier American collegiate event and emulate the likes of John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe.

INTERVIEW (Oct 2007)

INTERVIEW - Somdev Dev Varman

When Somdev Dev Varman won the NCAA championship in May this year, it caught the Indian media by surprise. The 22-year-old had become the first Indian winner of the premier American collegiate event, emulating the likes of John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe.

Surely, it was time for Dev Varman to say goodbye to the University of Virginia and turn professional. After all, the man he beat in the NCAA final - American John Isner - is already making waves on the ATP Tour. And doesn't India desperately need a male Sania Mirza?

For the moment, Dev Varman is content playing the occasional ATP tournament - he was last seen in action as a wildcard at the Kingfisher Airlines Open, Mumbai.

In this exclusive interview, Dev Varman told The Indian Tennis Blog he isn't ready to put away his books till May next year.

Several people are astonished that you seem to be putting your college degree over tennis. When are you going to turn professional?

I'm planning on turning pro after I graduate and finish up the NCAA team and individual tournament in May 2008. I feel graduating and getting a degree from the University of Virginia is a special thing and I've enjoyed my time there so far. I have no regrets of returning to school and hope to help my team be the frontrunners for a national championship this year.

Do you think staying back in India would have hindered your career?

No, I don't think it would have at all. Going to college was just another option for my life and my tennis. Indian tennis is growing and we're developing many juniors thanks to the efforts of the organisations in control.

Which tennis player is your idol and which is your favourite surface?

It's hard not to like Federer. He's a great player and represents the sport in the best way possible. I like playing on hard and clay.

John Isner, the player you beat in the NCAA final, is now the talk of the ATP tour for his meteoric rise up the rankings. Any comments?

John is a great player and a good friend. I'm a bit surprised that he has made his move this quickly but I thought it was going to happen sooner or later for sure. His serve is absolutely enormous and he's very mentally tough and focused. I'm happy for him and hopefully I'll be able to join him there soon after I graduate.

Can we see you playing more events in India in the future?

I would love to play some events in India if I'm given the opportunity.

What apart from playing tennis gives you a high?

Apart from playing tennis, I enjoy playing pretty much any sport. I love hanging out with friends and having a good time. I also love listening to music and watching movies in my free time.

Should Somdev Dev Varman turn professional?
	Yes - he's wasting his best formative years
	No - he will peak gradually this way
	Can't say
pollcode.com free polls

Mumbai misses Indians at Kingfisher Open

It took four rain-hit days to complete first round matches at the Kingfisher Airlines Tennis Open but when the roll call was taken, no Indians were left in the singles draw.

There's not going to be any consolation from doubles either. Mahesh Bhupathi, who claimed the inaugural title in 2006 with Mario Ancic, pulled out before his opening round doubles match with what appears to be a bad back.

Wildcard Rohan Bopanna, at 244 the highest ranked Indian in singles, was our best hope and he almost made it. But it was Frenchman Nicolas Devilder who prevailed 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (11-9) after saving three matchpoints.

NCAA champion Somdev Dev Varman, the other Indian wildcard in the draw, actually led 5-4 in the second set against Italian Fabio Fognini but had to settle for a 3-6, 6-7(8-10) loss at the $416,000 ATP event.

In a battle of qualifiers, Navdeep Singh couldn't find anything to break Toshihide Matsui's rhythm and lost 4-6, 6-7(6-8) to the Japanese player.

And lucky loser Purav Raja couldn't make much of a second chance, falling 4-6, 1-6 to Spain's Ivan Navarro.

Raja and Vivek Shokeen are playing doubles too, but as last-minute replacements for Bhupathi and France's Fabrice Santoro and no miracles are expected from them.

Last year's surprise finalists Bopanna and Ghouse also survive in the doubles event though with different partners - Bopanna with Pakistan's Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and Ghouse with Karan Rastogi.

But the question on everybody's minds is the whereabouts of Leander Paes. The doubles specialist skipped the Mumbai event apparently because of his tiff with Bhupathi. But he and Britain's Jamie Murray are also missing in action at the ATP Bangkok event, where they were supposed to be playing this week.

Update: Ghouse and Rastogi lost to the British pair of James Auckland and Ross Hutchins 2-6, 6-3, 3-10 in a first round match on Centre Court that lasted an hour and 14 minutes.

Update 2: Bopanna and Qureshi have advanced to the doubles semifinals thanks to a walkover over Ivan Navarro of Spain and Sergio Roitman of Argentina. Roitman withdrew with an elbow injury in the quarterfinals.

Raja and Shokeen, the only other Indian pair still in the fray, lost their first round match in straight sets 3-6, 2-6 to the Serbian duo of Boris Pashanski and Victor Troicki.

Will Bopanna and Qureshi win the doubles title?
	Yes - Bopanna was a finalist at ATP Mumbai last year
	No - Luck favoured them so far, not any more
	Can't say - all depends on who they play next
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