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Saketh Myneni, a veteran of Indian tennis, brings a wealth of experience and a string of achievements to the court. With a career spanning several years, Saketh Myneni is not just a seasoned player but also a proud recipient of medals from the Asian Games and a representative of India in the Davis Cup.
He reflected on the electrifying team atmosphere and the unique format that captivates both players and fans in the Tennis Premier League (TPL). Myneni emphasized the need for a better tennis system in India to encourage more youngsters to pursue the sport professionally.
As the TPL unfolded recently in Pune, Saketh Myneni shared his approach in an exclusive interview to adapting to the fast-paced format, stressing the importance of a champion mentality and teamwork.
Excerpts from Saketh Myneni's exclusive interview with Sportskeeda
#1 How has your experience in the Tennis Premier League so far?
Saketh Myneni: For me, I mean, it's fantastic, like having a team atmosphere and having eight teams, it's always fun and the format also makes it very exciting for the fans, for us players and the owners. Everyone's more involved.
Every point from the beginning of the first day to now, everything is really exciting because every single point, in the beginning, was going to help you to make it to the next stage.
#2 How was the experience at the Asian Games 2023?
Saketh Myneni: I was playing with Ram (Ramkumar Ramanathan) and also experienced winning a medal at the Asian Games. It's a fantastic achievement for me. It was one of the goals I had to represent India at the Asian Games, and bringing back a medal is the icing on the cake for me.
That's a big confidence booster, and I hope I to use that confidence playing on the circuit for the ATP tour. And yeah, the experience has been fantastic in China. I mean, we didn't know what to expect because it's already a year's delay with the Asian Games, and it was fun being there.
First of all, we didn't know what to expect or how things were going to be there. I think China has done an incredible job of hosting these games and making fun for everyone as well as challenging because the conditions are tougher. Playing with Ram was nice, and bringing back a silver medal felt great.
#3 How does it feel to play against Ramkumar in the Tennis Premier League?
Saketh Myneni: This is different, this team atmosphere is completely different, and it's always fun. We train with each other on and off a lot, and we know each other, but now we're competitive at the same time. So yeah, it's been fun.
We're trying to pump each other and show some energy because it helps teammates to get better and we're enjoying it here.
#4 How do you adapt to this fast-paced format in the Tennis Premier League from the usual long format?
Saketh Myneni: I mean, the biggest thing is the mindset for this game because there's no marathon in this. Usually, tennis is so physical here. It's like just 20-point format. By the time you blink your eye, the match is already over. So the crucial thing is all three teammates have to chip in and do the best we can to win the prize for us.
I mean, we had some good wins, some close losses here and there, but that's part of the format and that's the really exciting part. You have to go and wait until the last minute to see how everyone does and everything is going to contribute to the end. It's great. It's a champion mentality.
You come back, you've done it in the past, and you want to do it again and again. It's never easy because everyone's trying to come after you, and that's the biggest thing here. And we try to do the best we can. I mean, we put ourselves in a good position from the second day. The first day wasn't a great outing for us, but slowly, we started to climb back up.
#5 What do you think is the importance of such leagues coming up in India, helping Indian tennis to grow in the future?
Saketh Myneni: I mean, it does increase the exposure of the sport, I mean a lot more cities are getting involved. Hopefully, maybe we get to play in other cities and also in the smaller areas to make the sport look bigger because tennis, in general, has been watched around the world.
A lot of countries do play and watch, but India is still lagging, and hopefully, these kind of leagues are something that pump up the communities to get people out and get this kind of excitement going. It's always great for the sport. I mean, the biggest thing is you have to go back and do from the grassroots level, like how many tennis players are playing and how many people are taking this as a career, not just the league in general but on the professional circuit also.
But these leagues, if they go into the smaller cities and all that, you have a lot of crowd coming in and a lot of players. It helps the sport to grow. So that's the biggest thing. If the sport grows in general, it helps the overall development of the sport. I think we are still lacking in infrastructure, and hopefully, the system will be properly in place for tennis to grow.
#6 With three Asian Games Medals under your belt, what are your future goals?
Saketh Myneni: I mean, it's been far apart. 2014 was nine years ago, and 2023 is now. Yeah, it's different back then. You're just trying to know what the circuit is like in Asian Games. We didn't know how big it was. But once you compete there, it's a different format because very few times you get to play as a team.
The Davis Cup is one part for us, but these Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Olympics come once in four years. So it's very big in terms of your sport, the outreach, and how many people follow it. In the Commonwealth, we don't have tennis, so it's more the Asian Games and the Olympics.
So the Asian Games is very big in terms of how the sport is looked. And we tennis players, we do the best we can whenever we represent, and we do it with pride. And for me, getting three medals so far. I'm very happy about it. I wish I could get more and more, but that's the goal. You keep trying and aiming for it.
#7 We saw a lot of young kids cheering from the stand, and it was so electric. How does it feel to get this kind of support?
Saketh Myneni: Definitely, it's a different thing. Like here, the crowd is so much louder than in the professional circuit. You can't have people shout in between points and stuff. So it's a little different. Well, it's great to see, but I mean, I've never had an issue with people cheering or being so pumped up.
It's great to see so many kids coming here and cheering for the different teams, not just my team but every team. I think that's great to see. Hopefully, we have a few guys from that group playing tennis and becoming future champions.
#8 What are the challenges in the current Indian circuit of tennis?
Saketh Myneni: The biggest thing is the system has to be better so that more people can take up tennis as a career. I mean if you put a pool of like maybe 1000 people in, maybe you'll have the ratio, probably will have like 20 to 30 guys who are doing well on the world map.
But that rate is like what we have now in the last 30 years, we have only a handful of people who have done it and done it successfully at the big stage. So that's something like if you contribute from the grassroot levels and keep supporting at a younger age, I think we'll have a better group coming up in the future years.
#9 What is your message for the youngsters who would like to take up tennis?
Saketh Myneni: The biggest thing for me is to stay disciplined. I mean, you're going to have a lot of barriers on your way, but you have to find a way to get over the obstacles. And that's something I think each kid is going to face in whatever field they take not just in tennis but any sport, any career.
I think that's the main goal. Just stay disciplined and focused to achieve your goals.
#10 There are a few players who are just starting their careers playing TPL but getting to play with a few of the veterans and even foreign players. How does that help them?
Saketh Myneni: The biggest thing is we get to see the women players also here. We don't see them as much on the circuit because not many tournaments are together unless you're playing at the Grand Slams and the big events. So it's great for the foreigners to come and be there in a team atmosphere.
Even a lot of Indian girls use this as motivation. See how, where they're placed, and how they can improve. And even the guys also. I mean, we have a lot of champions coming and playing here. It's always great to learn from these guys and use that in your daily plan and schedule and see what they're doing better because they've achieved it. So it's the same thing for us.
You have to learn from those small things and get to see them in person like this, in this kind of atmosphere. It's great for anyone to learn.
