Bhambri, Ramkumar, Gunneswaran, Kadhe have a point to prove
PUNE: When the season's first men's tennis event on Indian soil gets underway on Monday, the spotlight will be firmly turned on the four home players in the fray.
The Tata Open Maharashtra, the fourth edition in its current avatar and the 26th instalment overall, has always been about the marquee player it has been able to attract.
But it has also brought into limelight the Indian wildcards and the occasional direct acceptances. Whether it be the star combination of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, or Somdev Devvarman's run to the final, the tournament has thrived on and supported home grown talent with equal measure.
And with the field lacking a top-10 player in its last two editions ever since the calendar was rejigged to accommodate the ATP Cup, it has become a huge opportunity as well as a responsibility for the Indian players.
Yuki Bhambri, Ramkumar Ramanathan, Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Arjun Kadhe will step on the court with different aspirations but they all have something to prove - justify their spot in the 28-player draw.
Bhambri, playing with a protected ranking, hopes to revive his career for umpteenth time after yet another recovery from a knee injury. But at 29, the Delhi lad knows that time could be running out for hi m, at least in singles, and he needs to make the most out of this week.
Currently ranked in the 1000s, Bhambri, ranked as high as 83 in 2018, is easily the most gifted tennis player India has produced i n recent years. But whether he can still reproduce the form that saw him beat the likes of Gael Monfils only he, and his knee, can tell.
Of the four, Ramkumar Ramanathan is the one that has the momentum going with him. The Chennai lad seems to have turned it around in 2021 with his maiden Challenger title and had a spectacular start to 2022 with the doubles title in Adelaide.
For Prajnesh Gunneswaran, it is more about rediscovering the self-belief that propelled him to No. 75 three years back.
Kadhe, the local lad, probably carries the heaviest cross. An ATP main draw appearance couldn't have come at a more opportune moment for the Pune player, but having focussed on doubles, it remains to be seen how much he can take advantage.
Manish, Sasi crash out
The two Indians in the qualifying draw, Sasikumar Mukund and Manish Sureshkumar, lost 3 -6, 3 -6 to Altug Celikbilek of Turkey and 2-6, 3-6 to Vit Kopriva of the Czech Republic respectively.
