Wimbledon boost for Divij
Divij Sharan (left) and Purav Raja
Divij Sharan’s Wimbledon journey ended in the first round itself, but the Delhi lad said that the Grand Slam appearance “boosted his morale” many folds.
“It was a very special feeling playing my first Grand Slam. I played here as a junior in 2004 but was over-awed by the magnitude of the tournament. I feel I was more relaxed this time. I actually enjoyed my tennis,” said the 27-year-old Divij.
Divij, who along with playing partner Purav Raja qualified for the grass-court event, said it was a privilege playing at Wimbledon.
“You get to see all the top players. You are treated well and there are thousands of people who come to see your match. Grass is my favourite surface and it’s a privilege playing here,” he said.
The Indian duo began on a strong note but squandered their two set lead to lose the match 7-6 (4), 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 4-6 to American Nicholas Monroe and Simon Stadler of Germany in three hours and 15 minutes.
“We started off really well but somewhere in the middle of the third set, they stepped it up a bit and changed a few things in their game plan. They are a good team, and winning the third set gave them confidence and they were right back in the match,” he said.
Divij and Purav have been playing as a team since the end of 2012 and it has been a fruitful journey so far.
“It’s been a great year. I made my Davis Cup debut last year, Purav made his this year. We have played four Challenger finals so far, qualified for the Wimbledon, reached career best ranking of 91 this week. Things are looking good.” Asked about his next target, the lanky lad said, “To get within the top 70 by the end of the year so that I can start getting into the ATP tour events and the main draw of the other Grand Slams.” They will play in the ATP Challenger event in Braunschweig next week.
About his fitness, Divij said, “I make it a point to follow my fitness routine even during tournaments. Being a doubles player, I have to target to play anything between 30 to 35 tournaments in the year to make a breakthrough to the next level.”
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