06 January,2009 08:46 AM IST | | Nikhil Subramaniam
Big dreams: Somdev Devvarman. pic/afp
India Davis Cupper prefers to stay low key despite the hype surrounding his 'bright future
It's not surprising that after a terrific beginning to his tennis career last season, Somdev Devvarman is keeping his feet on the ground. He is determined not to let hype jinx his run. However, after Indian tennis' leading light Leander Paes proclaimed Somdev as the future of the sport in India, there has been a lot of buzz around the Assamese player.
Good last year
For Somdev, however, it is merely a reflection of his performances in the last year. "You know when you play like I did, such things are bound to be said. Leander and I have trained together a lot and also played alongside during the Davis Cup and he obviously sees something in me."
"But it would be a mistake if I pay too much attention to all this. There are a lot of talented youngsters at the moment. Yuki (Bhambri) is one of them. So, instead of focusing on one player, I would say it's good for the game in India," the 23-year-old told MiD DAY yesterday.
Somdev, who is a wildcard entry in the singles, faces American Kevin Kim in the first round today.
He'll be hoping to have better luck than his doubles partner Prakash Amritraj did yesterday. Amritraj was brave in the face of a stiff challenge from fifth seed Rainer Schuettler but ended up losing 2-6, 6-4, 1-6.
Prakash fights hard
Amritraj staged a valiant comeback after a lop-sided first set. Breaking the German early in the second, the 25-year-old took full advantage of a weary Schuettler to win the set. But in the decider, things went awry for Amritraj, losing his head after a break and never coming back.
"I was a little rusty since I had not had much match practice. Things could have been different but I lost my focus in the final set and gave away some easy points," he said.
However, there was some good news from the Indian camp as Rohan Bopanna made it to the first round yesterday with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 comeback win over Germany's Michael Berrer in the qualifiers.
