Somdev vs Federer: A lesson for Indian tennis

There’s only one hustler who’s been known to cause problems to the great Roger Federer and it is well documented in the head-to-head record as well. So you had to wonder much before Somdev Devvarman – who’s also known to be a bit of a hustler – stepped on to the court, as to what chance he actually had of staying with the mighty Fed, let alone challenge him.

Fedex was in full flow with some supreme free-flowing backhands and some real crisp inside-out forehand winners for which Somdev had no answers; mind you, he is not the first to be in this position! The match, held on Court Suzanne Lenglen, gave us a perfect opportunity to observe what it would take for an Indian tennis player to actually hold his own against the very best on court. This could apply to any youngster who wants to make it big but as an Indian I would like to focus on Indian tennis and try to answer the question that pops up in everyone’s mind – why don’t we have more Indians playing in the main draws of Grand Slams?

Fitness is one of the foremost aspects that one should look at as a key to sustained success at the very highest level. You could easily say that Somdev is extremely fit but unfortunately for Somdev, he is just coming out of a shoulder injury that kept him out for most of 2012, and match fitness is something that can only be attained by playing more number of matches. It is important to note that, for a youngster, physical fitness is something that needs to be kept very high on the priority list and it is easy for someone starting young to build this into their daily routine. Match fitness can be gained by playing more number of matches and it has the added benefit of exposure to various situations that a player may encounter in crunch matches.

Something that was easily noticeable was the difference in the speed of the first serves. Somdev’s first serves were averaging at around 160-180 kmph whereas Fed was serving at 200+ kmph most of the times. The result was Federer easily converted most of Somdev’s backhand returns into punishing forehand return winners that could leave anyone demoralized before the ensuing points. So, physicality, in terms of strength and making use of the power, really matters at the highest level. You don’t need to have big booming serves like big Goran Ivanisevic used to, but a forceful serve is definitely required in today’s tennis. Holding serve, especially in the men’s game, is a big asset and can single-handedly turn the match in one’s favour.

Tennis has always been a sport where players with aggressive intent have done well and hence you see that Federer, who is naturally aggressive, has done so well for himself. The facts of yesterday’s match indicate that Somdev played 80% of his shots from beyond the baseline which instantly rules out chances of setting up an attacking position for him to dominate a point. Compare this with Federer’s 50% shots played from within the baseline and it shows why Federer dominates so many of his opponents! Where Nadal scores over the others is his amazing ability to hang in long enough during points that lets him convert (sometimes) from an utterly hopeless defensive position to supreme offense.

We, as a country, are traditionally not known to do well in sports where endurance plays a huge role. Tennis is one sport where you need to play at consistently high levels right throughout a match to have a chance of winning. This aspect becomes more important when we are competing at international events where fitness and skill levels are extremely high. The above has been written with the underlying assumption that a youngster has access to the best of facilities, sponsorships, etc.

If one were to look into the Wikipedia page of Somdev, it says that he beat John Isner (ranked 21 in the world currently) in the NCAA Singles Final during his university days. Most of our country folks show enormous potential during their teenage years but somehow drop off the radar as they get into the professional scene. Though the seeds were sown much earlier with the like of Paes, Bhupathi and Sania doing us proud at various stages, Somdev has shown the way for a lot of youngsters. And what can be better than playing against a legend like Roger in front of a capacity crowd and actually getting a few supporting chants from the crowd? Isn’t it truly a matter of pride that one of our very own has competed against such a legend of the game in a Grand Slam? That must be inspiration enough for all the budding tennis players in the country to take up the sport, and perhaps we will see a lot more of our countrymen in the main draws of Grand Slams in the future.