There was hardly any expectation that Somdev Devvarman can be in the midst of the best run of his career. Previously, the Indian locked horns with Roger Federer in the second round of the ATP Dubai Open in 2011. To every Indian’s delight, he had just reached his second ATP final in Johannesburg. Even after losing in straight sets to the Swiss maestro, Devvarman was far from distressed when pitted against the player who is popularly called as ‘Greatest Of All Time’.
Following a few weeks, Devvarman qualified and marched into the fourth round of the Indian Wells Masters Series event. His result was the best till date in the high-profile ATP event. He gave Rafael Nadal a tough fight before scoring 5-7, 4-6. Devvarman ranked at no. 62 in July that year and assumed to carve a niche for the top 50.
However, a shoulder injury put brakes in his career towards the end of the year. He was forced to retire in his last tournament of the season which was an ATP challenger in Charlottesville. In fact, that injured shoulder required surgery in early 2012 and compelled him to skip the subsequent six months. When he returned at the London Olympics in July last year, Devvarman’s ranking plunged to the 400s. This had crashed his match-toughness and confidence very badly.
The tennis star took another four months to register his first win of the year. To his disgrace, the 2-7 record in 2012 slid his ranking further to no. 733. Devvarman was brave enough not to give up hope. He commented that it was a pretty serious injury. He had to undergo surgery and had a long time of recovery and rehabilitation. It is something one compromises with after a while. He felt quite frustrating for not being able to play. While looking at the bigger picture, he guessed it is more crucial to remain healthy and not take unnecessary jeopardy.
Devvarman has constructed an impressive 17-11 record on the tour this year including his four victories at the French Open till date which includes wins over 5 top 100 players and has witnessed his ranking ascend to no. 188 in the world.
Devvarman will return on one of the biggest stages in the sport, locking horns with Federer again on Wednesday. Devvarman has a sure chance to oust the second seeded Federer. This the best chance for the Indian to clash with Federer. Clay is known to be Federer’s least successful surface and the Swiss, presently aged 31 years had not arrived the finals of any tournament this year apart from two weeks ago in Rome.
It is evident that this match will be on Federer’s racket. In fact, Federer has too much game and power for the 28 year old Indian counterpart. However, it is known that even the greats have their bad day, if we consider what Serena Williams did last year in Paris. He will have miniscule opportunities, like he had in Dubai two years ago. It is well known that Devvarman earned two break points in that match against Federer, but could not convert either. On the other hand, Federer converted almost 50% of his seven break point chances.
Although Federer is Devvarman’s favourite players, the Indian will not be daunted by his idol across the net on Wednesday. Devvarman will definitely find some inspiration of his own. No matter which way the match goes, Devvarman needs to track just how far he has travelled in his career in the past six months. Having just 32 ranking points to defend for the remaining season, he should be able to propel in the top 100 by the end of the year. Whether he Wins or loses on Wednesday, Devvarman is already a winner!
