Potential energy for future

PUNE: When Ramkumar Ramanathan was 20, Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA) used to maintain a separate ranking system to track the progress of their star pupil. TNTA’s ranking structure only included players aged 21 or below. This, they felt, was an accurate reflection of where Ramkumar was at that stage.
On December 31, 2014, the then 20-year-old was ranked No 241, but TNTA’s method listed him at No 26. That number was a matter of pride for them. 

In the intervening four years, it’s fair to say that the now 24-year-old hasn’t hit the heights TNTA expected him to. Fifteen of the 25 players in that age-group are comfortably ranked above him. The likes of Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Borna Coric and Kyle Edmund — five of the 25 who were ranked ahead of the Chennai lad — have progressed so much that they are now in the top 20.

The World No 132? Even though Ramkumar has as well (the 10 players he has left behind is a testament to that), his development has been up-down. It’s always had a hint of five steps forward followed by six steps behind.   

That sentiment played itself out at Tata Open Maharashtra too on Wednesday, where he lost in a three-set thriller to Malek Jaziri in the second round.

Good players find a way to dig themselves out of holes. Ramkumar did this on a number of occasions in the match, but he also showed enough evidence to suggest that he remains work-in-progress.

After serving 18 aces in the first two sets, that touch deserted him in the final stanza. The reason was he began to try too hard. The aces were replaced by double faults. At one point, he served four back-to-back double faults, literally handing the match to Jaziri after having dominated the majority of the encounter 
till then.

However, that’s just one part of the equation. To put a positive spin on proceedings, the wiry athlete looks very fit and is prepared to go the distance. He echoed the same thing on Thursday. “Of course, I am on the right track. I have been saying that it’s just a matter of time. I have put in the work. I just have to leave the rest to God and keep working hard; staying dedicated. The results will follow. I am feeling good physically, serving well and being aggressive. I am feeling good on the court. Of course, I need to focus a lot to keep playing this kind of tennis in every match. That’s very important.”  

He hit the nail on the head because one of his problems is inconsistency. The last time he won matches on back-to-back weeks at the World Tour level (including qualifiers) was in August 2017, when he had reached the second round of Cincinnati Masters before winning a match at the qualifying stage of US Open. It’s a problem that has continued to haunt Ramkumar.

Before he reached the final in Newport, he didn’t win a match, including the Challenger level, for 33 days. One would have expected Ramkumar to use that as a launching pad for success in the second part of the year. But he promptly lost six of his next eight matches before reaching the second round in Shenzhen. After that run in China, he was again winless on the Tour until his first-round triumph at centre court against Marcel Granollers on Tuesday. 

The signs are that he will break this annoying habit in 2019. The next few months will offer more proof.

Leander cryptic about Davis Cup omission

Leander Paes gave a tongue-in-cheek response when asked if he was disappointed to not be picked for India’s Davis Cup enounter against Italy. “I think the results show for themselves. At the end of the day, there’s no secret about what’s going on in Davis Cup. As far as I’m concerned, whenever I’m called, I will put my best foot forward. I love to play for the Tricolour. The fact that I have the record proves it. Sure, Calcutta, grass... Not too bad on grass, am I?”