BackYuki Bhambri: Small changes, big gains
The highest rated Indian singles player on the trials of the pro tour, and jumping 315 places in the rankings
PremiumNEW DELHI :
Yuki Bhambri’s statements exude the same confidence that his strokes do. On an off day during the $50,000 (around ₹ 32.50 lakh) KPIT-MSLTA ATP Challenger in Pune, which ends on Saturday, the 23-year-old looked relaxed.
Having won the Shanghai Challenger event in September, and made it to the finals of three other Challengers this year, the former top junior finally seems to be coming good on the promise he has shown. He broke into the top 100 in the ATP, or Association of Tennis Professionals, rankings for the first time on 19 October, the only Indian player in that bracket (at the time of writing this article, he had dropped to 105).
He spoke of his trials, and the challenges ahead. Edited excerpts from an interview:
From 414 in the world in February to breaking into the top 100, how has it been for you?
It’s been an interesting year. I did not expect it, coming back from the lowest ranking I have been in in a long, long time. The goal was to play as much as I can, just to compete, and I am glad that the results did take care of themselves. It was very important for me to keep playing as many matches, as many tournaments, as I could.
I was glad I got a good start to the year, qualified for the Australian Open, had a good run to the finals in Delhi (Challenger event), which set the platform for the rest of the year. I kept building on week after week. Finally, here we are 10 months later, at 99.
Are you just playing better, or have you made specific changes?
There have been constant changes, small changes throughout. At the end of last year, I had changed my serve a little bit. I had gone to see (former American player) Taylor Dent at the IMG Academy (in Florida, US), which did not bring a whole lot of success in the beginning. I have seen him play and serve great, and it was one aspect that I needed to improve on and have a different view about. He changed the action a little bit, the ball toss a little. I was not that confident when I left. But the serve has definitely improved. It’s given me a lot more free points, less headache on the service games.
I think winning matches helps, makes you believe in yourself a lot more. Bits and pieces here and there: changes in training, a conscious decision to play two-three weeks and not play more than that, play less doubles this year. All these changes have contributed.
From an Indian perspective, what does it mean to be in the top 100?
For us, it’s as big as an American or a European maybe winning a tour event. Over the years, there haven’t been many Indian players who have made it. Somdev (Devvarman), Leander (Paes) before that, in the 1990s. That’s a long time ago.
As a young kid, watching tennis on TV, I remember telling my parents and joking with my friends about it. When (Pete) Sampras won the 14th Slam, I said I would beat that one day. The older I got, from 14 it went to one. Quickly from that, it went to just making the Slams. And then from being a top 10, top 20 player, it went to top 100. That’s how difficult it really is.
Consistency will be the keyword for you. But over the years you have struggled with injuries...
Just playing on tour has helped me improve physically—not just the work off the court or in the training weeks—but playing those long matches and playing week in and week out has made a lot of difference. I feel I have become better. I have been able to win a lot more; being down I have been able to fight through a lot more. There have been a lot of matches which, a year or two years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to pull off. But I have been able to do that consistently now.
The Shanghai finals that I won was a bit of a physical match, coming down from a set. It was mentally challenging as well. I had match points at 5-4, I lost about six or seven of them before coming back to win the match. Having come through that, then playing the Davis Cup (versus Czech Republic) and losing both the matches there, and again making the final in Kaohsiung (Taiwan) was a challenging few weeks.
Does it also come down to having more faith in your body now?
It definitely does. Also, a big change is having a trainer (Ahmed Nasir) along with me. I understand my body a lot more, he understands what needs to be done: when to rest, when to train a bit more. It was a big gamble to travel with a trainer and not a coach. Because tennis is eventually the most important thing. But I have managed to do that well, help myself out in the tennis aspect. I felt that the training and recovery was more important for me.
You won the junior Australian Open in 2009 and were ranked world No.1. There were a lot of expectations when you entered the pro tour. Did you ever get impatient that the results weren’t coming fast enough?
It was always there, right from Day 1 that I hit the pro tour. I don’t think I realized how much more difficult it would be. I didn’t realize how much more I had to work. What motivated me was to see my colleagues do well. A lot of the guys I played with in the juniors had made the transition, not just that, but done it well. (Bernard) Tomic, Jack Sock, Ryan Harrison. I would see them, train with them and I could see that there wasn’t that big a difference. That made me believe that it was still possible even though I kept going further and further away from where I wanted to be.
Do you also think that Tomic and Sock had a certain advantage over you because they came from traditional tennis powerhouses?
It still gives them the edge. Someone like Tomic has had the backing of Tennis Australia since he was 12-13. It makes a big difference when you have people who know the game guide you. For me, it was always uncharted territory. I wasn’t sure what to do, what not to do, what tournaments to play, how to go about it. (In India), it doesn’t matter whether we have a person in the top 100 or no one in the top 500. Abroad, they have a system in place which is bound to produce champions, players in the top 15, top 10, all the time, which we unfortunately don’t.
Does that lack of resources get even more amplified on the pro tour?
Today, having a coach and a trainer is a necessity. If a child cannot afford to have someone helping them 24x7, then it’s a waste, there’s no point even getting into the sport. I know at the end of the day that I cannot have both of them travelling with me. One aspect will have to take a back seat, and that’s a setback, it’s unfair.
Do you speak with the Indian players who have been through this?
I speak to Somdev quite a lot, we discuss how to go about things. It’s great that there is someone to help out. That culture wasn’t there earlier. It’s also good to have a group of players coming up around the same time. We have never had four players in the top 200, and we all want each other to do well.
How do you look back on that experience of playing against Andy Murray at the Australian Open?
It was a great confidence-booster. To be able to push him for three consecutive sets at a Grand Slam was great. It made me believe a lot more. It helped me realize that I wasn’t that far behind in terms of where I wanted my game to be.
I remember telling my trainer that I want to win at least one game per set. We were both laughing when I won the first game; at least I wasn’t going to lose 6-0, 6-0, 6-0. Murray has one of the best return games on the tour, and is a great retriever. I felt like I had to hit two winners every time to get a point. That’s the thing about the top 10: They are able to do it consistently, they are able to sustain for a long period of time, and they are able to do it every day for 4 hours. You get to know a lot more about your own game when you play someone that good.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
