By Anand Philar, IANS,
Chennai: Some off-season work on his “transitional game”, besides overall fitness, proved to be key factors in his resounding 7-5, 6-2 win against German veteran Rainer Schuettler, said Somdev Devvarman after he moved into the second round of the $400,000 ATP Aircel Chennai Open tennis tournament, here Tuesday night.
Reflecting on his success Tuesday night against the 33-year-old Schuettler, a former World No.6, Devvarman said his “new style” of play with more trips to the net than before, was a result of his off-season training.
“We did a lot of work on the transitional game during the off-season and that is one reason why you guys saw me coming to the net much more than before. But then, I also focused on various other aspects of my game,” said the 24-year-old Devvarman.
He felt that the turning point in the match came when he trailed 3-5 in the first set. “I had missed a few balls that I shouldn’t have early in the set. But after I broke him in the ninth, I settled down and played some good points from there on,” he said.
Devvarman felt that he did not serve as well as he would have liked to. “But I have been working on my serve and it is a constant process.”
He admitted that his Davis Cup exploits last year against South Africa in the play-off tie had a huge impact on his game. He won a five-setter against Rik de Voest after being down 0-2 in the first reverse singles that won the rubber for India.
“Obviously, that was one of the best matches I have played. That I played a five-setter gave me the confidence that I could rely on my fitness,” he said.
Looking ahead to his second round match against fourth seeded Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia tomorrow, Devvarman said: “Janko is an attacking player and so I have got to be on top of my game. I also got to pick my spots. The key factor would be to serve away from him and move him around.”