Somdev vs Federer: A lesson for Indian tennis

There’s only one hustler who’s been known to cause problems to the great Roger Federer and it is well documented in the head-to-head record as well. So you had to wonder much before Somdev Devvarman – who’s also known to be a bit of a hustler – stepped on to the court, as to what chance he actually had of staying with the mighty Fed, let alone challenge him.

Fedex was in full flow with some supreme free-flowing backhands and some real crisp inside-out forehand winners for which Somdev had no answers; mind you, he is not the first to be in this position! The match, held on Court Suzanne Lenglen, gave us a perfect opportunity to observe what it would take for an Indian tennis player to actually hold his own against the very best on court. This could apply to any youngster who wants to make it big but as an Indian I would like to focus on Indian tennis and try to answer the question that pops up in everyone’s mind – why don’t we have more Indians playing in the main draws of Grand Slams?

Fitness is one of the foremost aspects that one should look at as a key to sustained success at the very highest level. You could easily say that Somdev is extremely fit but unfortunately for Somdev, he is just coming out of a shoulder injury that kept him out for most of 2012, and match fitness is something that can only be attained by playing more number of matches. It is important to note that, for a youngster, physical fitness is something that needs to be kept very high on the priority list and it is easy for someone starting young to build this into their daily routine. Match fitness can be gained by playing more number of matches and it has the added benefit of exposure to various situations that a player may encounter in crunch matches.

Something that was easily noticeable was the difference in the speed of the first serves. Somdev’s first serves were averaging at around 160-180 kmph whereas Fed was serving at 200+ kmph most of the times. The result was Federer easily converted most of Somdev’s backhand returns into punishing forehand return winners that could leave anyone demoralized before the ensuing points. So, physicality, in terms of strength and making use of the power, really matters at the highest level. You don’t need to have big booming serves like big Goran Ivanisevic used to, but a forceful serve is definitely required in today’s tennis. Holding serve, especially in the men’s game, is a big asset and can single-handedly turn the match in one’s favour.