India’s Ramkumar Ramanathan, who recently beat World No. 8 and top seed Dominic Thiem at the Antalya Open in Turkey, is looking forward to an away Davis Cup challenge in September
Ramkumar Ramanathan during the Davis Cup tie against Uzbekistan at KSLTA Stadium, Bangalore. Pic/AFP
Ramkumar Ramanathan during the Davis Cup tie against Uzbekistan at KSLTA Stadium, Bangalore. Pic/AFP
It’s well over a week since Ramkumar Ramanathan etched his name into Indian tennis history with a massive 6-3, 6-2 victory over World No. 8 Dominic Thiem, also the tournament’s top seed, at the Antalya Open in Turkey.
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It took just about an hour for the 22-year-old World No. 222 Indian to overcome the giant Austrian and make overnight headlines by creating one of Indian tennis’ biggest upsets.
In 2014, Somdev Devvarman had beaten Juan Martin Del Potro, then World No. 5, but the Argentine had retired from the match. So, Leander Paes beating then World No. 2 Pete Sampras at New Haven in 1998, was probably the last big win by an Indian on the Tour.
There are two good things going for Chennai-based Ramkumar. Firstly, his age. He’s got a long way to go. And secondly, the fact that he isn’t getting carried away by his achievement and is willing to get back on to the court and grind it out for every match hereafter, just as he’s been doing till date.
“It’s been a good journey so far and I know that it’s going to get tougher. I’m up for the challenge. I will work hard day in and day out and irrespective of the results, I will keep doing the hard yards,” Ramkumar tells mid-day over the phone recently from Recanati in Italy, while playing in the ATP Challenger there.
The tiredness in his voice is understandable given that professional tennis players live out of a suitcase, traveling throughout the year, week in and week out across various countries with no family or friends for company. Ramkumar however, isn’t complaining. “My dad put me into tennis when I was very young. And today, as I continue to enjoy whatever I’m doing, I have to thank him for that,” he says.
Sure, the win over Thiem is extra-special but even better was the young Indian’s show against another big shot, Marcus Baghdatis of Cyprus in the quarter-finals of the same tournament.
Aggression paid off
Ramkumar explains: “I just wanted to play good, aggressive tennis against Thiem and that’s exactly what I did. I did not think about winning or losing or even about his ranking. I went for my shots, served well, came in for a few volleys too, and things came off better for me at crucial junctures, like when I was on set point or like when I had to serve for the match. Against Baghdatis though, it was a different situation.
'The match was played in rather different conditions. It was a lot more hotter and humid as compared to the match against Thiem. But I had a good outing here too before narrowly losing (7-6, 3-6, 6-7 across two hours and 43 minutes). I lost 6-8 in the third set tie-break, but then, Baghdatis is a great player, very experienced, so full credit to him. For me, it was just another learning curve.'
It’s this thirst for knowledge that makes Ramkumar pick Paes’ brains all the time, and he’s grateful that the 18-time Grand Slam doubles champ has always been receptive.
'Leander was here (in Antalya) and he was very happy for me. He’s a very nice guy and I’d like to thank him for always being there to help me and encourage me with his kind words.'
'It helps greatly on Tour to have someone who’s so experience to be a part of your team,” said Ramkumar, who partnered Paes in
October last year for the $50,000 KPIT Challenger event in Pune.
Paes was all praise for the lad then. 'Ram is a great young kid, who invests a lot of time and effort on his tennis and is doing pretty well in singles. I’ve been advising him on his tournament selection in Europe and across Asia. We regularly also discuss things like his serve, strokes, diet and even fitness,' Paes had told mid-day then.
He continues to back the young man. “You will always have my support! Keep working #wekeepgettingbetter @ramkumar1994,” Paes wrote on Twitter recently.
Just like his mentor Paes, Ramkumar also cherishes representing the country in the Davis Cup. He’s done so a few times already and has won his singles rubbers too contributing valuable points to the team’s outcome.
'The Davis Cup is very important to me. It’s a dream to represent your nation and I’ve been fortunate to be able to live that dream. Mahesh (Bhupathi, India captain) and Rohan (Bopanna) have been very kind and helpful for which I’m always grateful,' he says.
Canada calling India take on Canada in their own backyard for their Davis Cup World Group playoff tie on an indoor hard court in Edmonton in September, and Ramkumar can’t wait to don his India blue shirt again.
'I have a few tournaments lined up in Europe now, but I’m already looking forward to playing Canada in Edmonton. That’ll be a big one, so let’s see how that one goes. But one thing’s for sure, this win (over Thiem) will definitely keep me in a positive frame of mind, going forward.'
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