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IMAGE: Sumit Nagal stretched World No 54 Flip Krajinovic to a three-setter however misplaced the match when he tried to improvise within the decider in a good scenario on the Tata Open Maharashtra in Pune. {Photograph}: Tata Open Maharashtra/Twitter
Former Davis Cup captain Anand Amritraj is baffled that India’s finest singles gamers usually are not capable of win shut matches on the ATP World Tour regardless of having a good sport to again them, saying it is “worrisome”.
Amritraj stated that on the World Tour stage, greater than the bottom strokes it is the power to soak in stress and make the fitting calls within the crunch scenario that dictates the result of the matches and the Indian gamers have to work on that.
Sasikumar Mukund, nation’s highest-ranked singles participant, Ramkumar Ramanathan and Sumit Nagal ran the higher-ranked gamers shut on the Tata Open Maharashtra however ultimately fell brief and made first spherical exits.
All of them took the match to a stage from the place both participant may have received however couldn’t win factors when it mattered.
Mukund, ranked 340, misplaced 4-6, 5-7 to Flavio Cobolli (ranked 171) whereas Ramkumar (ranked 435) misplaced to world quantity 62 Pedro Martinez regardless of taking a one-set lead (6-3, 5-7, 3-6).
Nagal, whose rating has plummeted to 503 after injury-forced break, stretched World No 54 Flip Krajinovic to a three-setter however misplaced the match when he tried to improvise within the decider in a good scenario.
“I used to be very impressed with Sumit Nagal, I believed he performed nice; simply a few dangerous selections of photographs within the ultimate set at 4-4, and that price him the match,” Amritraj, who captained the Indian Davis Cup group between 2013 and 2018, stated.
“I watched Saikumar Mukund, once more, very shut, 6-4 7-5, a few photographs right here and there. I do not perceive why our boys in addition to they play, usually are not in a position win matches on the ATP Tour. They do properly in Challengers, however they should win matches in larger occasions.
“Closing out matches appears to be a problem.”
The organisers handed a wild card entry to 15-year-old Manas Dhamne and he got here out with flying colors. He didn’t win the match however put up a great combat towards seasoned American Michael Mmoh with out getting overwhelmed by the event.
Amritraj, 71, stated Dhamne’s defeat remains to be acceptable however skilled gamers like Nagal and Mukund ought to be capable to win.
“The closing out problem is worrisome. Within the case of 15-year-old, it’s lack of expertise, however come to Sumit Nagal and Mukund, they’ve performed sufficient on the Tour to shut out matches.
“Tennis, as we all know, is all between the ears. Everyone has the photographs, the backhand, the forehand, the volleys, and the serves at this stage of the sport. It is a query of the way you shut out the match. That each one comes all the way down to confidence or what goes inside your head.
“On the enterprise finish of the set or the match, the way you serve it out. It comes all the way down to few factors right here and there.”
Amritraj stated the phenomena of Indian gamers getting injured continuously can also be not an awesome signal. Nagal underwent a hip surgical procedure in November 2021 and misplaced about 4 months of motion. When he resumed competing, ended up dropping 11 first spherical matches and is sitting exterior top-500.
His largest win got here on his favorite floor (clay) towards Germany’s Daniel Altmaier, who was positioned 103 at the moment in October 2022 (now ranked 96).
Mukund had a again problem troubling him up to now and he had additionally pulled out of Davis Cup tie towards Pakistan resulting from a foot damage in 2019.
Yuki Bhambri and Prajnesh Gunneswaran misplaced essential instances of their respective careers resulting from accidents.
“Mukund is 25. Sumit is across the identical age. At this age, the primary factor is that you simply keep in fine condition and keep match. I’m amazed on the variety of accidents these younger children have these days.
“In our technology, it hardly occurred. I do not know if it is being bodily fortunate or what it’s? Now you have a look at Yuki, he has not performed a lot, he was fortunate to come back again (from damage) and play.
“He performed Davis Cup with me for 5 years. He’s one in every of my favorite gamers, he has been off singles for a while and now taking part in solely doubles with Saki (Saketh Myneni).”
India’s higher-ranked participant as of at this time is Mukund at quantity 340, a phenomena that speaks volumes concerning the present state of Indian tennis.
Amritraj, who reached the US Open third in 1974, is clearly disenchanted.
“It’s fairly unhappy to me that any individual ranked 340 is the perfect we now have, strictly by the rankings. Sumit Nagal had an opportunity of stepping into the top-100 or 150. I all the time puzzled why Ramkumar was not in top-100. It is unbelievable to me that all of them struggled in singles.”
Yuki Bhambri’s singles profession has come to a halt resulting from accidents he has opted to play solely the doubles format to extend his profession.
Whereas Amritraj feels Yuki should not ignore the singles fully, he doesn’t need Ramkumar to comply with the Delhi participant in taking that call.
“Ram ought to stick with singles for at the very least one other yr. There may be all the time time to play doubles, Rohan is taking part in at 42. He’s taking part in properly. There isn’t a motive to chuck your singles and give attention to doubles on the age of 28 which Ram is.
“So far as Yuki is worried, he needed to make a name. He has a great companion in Saketh Myneni. The age of 30 can also be possibly a great time to change to the doubles. Yuki has performed some unbelievable singles matches five-six years in the past. I’m not certain if he ought to ignore his singles however it seems to be he has made up his thoughts. It is actually a disgrace as a result of he’s nonetheless very gifted,” he stated.
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