India Tennis No 1 Somdev Devvarman was ousted of the ATP Zagreb Indoor Championship after a scintillating first round victory. Such was the spirited display of the young Indian that he won many hearts though he bowed of the championship eventually. Known for his surprising and sudden handing out of defeats, the ambitious tennis star bowed out of the second round but not before fighting to the core.
The unseeded Indian player gave almost a huge jolt to the World No 29 Jergen Melzer before existing out. Somdev who fresh from his Australian Open loss was could not play for the entire 2012 season because he nurtured a shoulder injury, but only to experience a 6-1 6-7(5) 2-6 defeat against the fourth seed from Austria.
Melzer could not believe such kind of elegant resistance that he had to fight his way back after being outclassed in the first set and then held his game to get through the Indian and book a place in the quarter-finals.
This is nothing new for the India as he has beaten top players such as Cyprus' Marcos Baghdatis, and Iva Karlovic and Marin Cilic from Croatia in the past as well.
Somdev had a poor start with a forgettable first set. However, the second set showed glimpses of his resilient aggression. The rampage was so evident that the Indian appeared to win the match almost. However, it was the Austrian’s experience that has won him accolades in the end. Considering the fact that there is much in store for the Indian in the future, this championship is just a short glimpse of his histrionics.
However, the Indian started it all on a positive note as he got to defeat Michael Berrer of Germany. Definitely, he was on a high after the victory. This happiness was cut short by the Austrian after winning the second round. It now needs to be seen that how the entire episode will be handled during such a crucial phase.
Indian tennis was never been so better after the famed duo Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes won laurels for the country many a time. Popularly known as LeeHesh, the duo split after indifferences between them. Currently, Bhupathi along with a couple of other players like Rohan Bopanna has rebelled against AITA because of the ongoing row against the management. It is highly expected that an effective solution would be found soon in order to overcome the issues in a successful manner.
The Indian contingent was poorly represented at the 2012 Olympics as well because of which a second rung team was sent to London involving Paes who expressed his displeasure with the politics in the sport.
As far as Somdev is concerned, the game is not over yet for the young player as he got hopes still of winning a medal for India. Ardent tennis fans from India hope that he plays at this best whenever needed the most.
In the doubles event, Somdev and his partner F Cipolla have reached the quarter-finals after beating M Delic and F Skugor 6-4 6-2 in the opening round.
