Retaining his boyish charms and infectious smile, Somdev Devvarman went on to grab two gold medals at the Asian Games. Exhilarated with his victory, he says, “The win is extremely special to me. It’s nice to end the year on a high note. And it’s tremendously satisfying to give the country something to cheer about.” This is straight after his CWG gold raking.
His win is a fitting smash to all his critics who said that the CWG wasn’t a real challenge and the Asian Games would be the real testing ground. But, for Somedev, it is his game that ultimately matters. “I wasn’t out there to prove anything to anyone. I was doing my job to the best I can. I’m glad that things turned out well,” he smiles.
According to his coaches, he had been practicing for two years to trump the Asian Games. After his first success kick at the doubles Gold win with Sanam Singh, there was no time to celebrate as the pivotal singles match was less than 24 hours away and he was playing with someone whom he had never aced before.
“I was just trying to concentrate on my match. Dennis Istomin is a tough opponent and I’d never beaten him before. So I was just preparing myself mentally,” he says.
Somdev had made his presence felt ever since he made it to the finals of the Chennai Open this year and quickly climbed the ladder to become India’s No. 1. Soon after him, other young players like Rohan Bopanna and Sanam Singh came to the fore. In spite of being on top of the charts, he modestly says, “There is a lot of young talent in India, though I hardly see myself as leading the league. I love playing as part of a team, and this is a great team to be a part of.”
Soon after Guangzhou, he was on a brief vacation to Las Vegas. He wants to be well in form to continue his winning spree before he comes back to Chennai for his next match. “I’m going to be training in the off-season and then will be spending some time with family before
heading to Chennai for my first ATP tournament this year.”
According to him, there is no bigger award than that of a victory. “I train all year, play back-to-back tournaments, it’s nice to see the results follow,” he smiles. The Dave Mathews Band fan, Somdev, was known to be a shy kid back in school but he differs, “I had my mischievous moments,” he giggles.
The lovely man that he is, he extends gratitude to all those who solidly affirmed their faith in him. “So many people have contributed to my success. My coaches, who have trained me right from the time I started playing, my family, my friends who always encouraged me. I count all their blessings,” he signs off, but not without a warm goodbye.