By IANS,
New Delhi: India’s No. 1 Somdev Devvarman admitted being “nervous” playing his first Commonwealth Games match, but was relieved to have recovered in time to cross the first hurdle in the men’s singes here Tuesday.
The top seed was his affable self after the match, insisting he enjoys immensely playing for the country.
“Playing for India is important for me , being top seed doesn’t mean much. I treat every opponenet the same and respect them. But representing the country is always very special,” Somdev said.
The 97th-ranked Indian beat left-handed Devin Mullings 6-4, 6-2, in the opening round, but not before rallying from a break down early in the match.
“I was 0-3 down in the first set, but it was just one break. I didn’t lose the serve again in the match. I was little nervous playing my first Commonwealth Games but I did well to come back,” he said.
“Mullings was a tricky opponent. He could be very deceptive. He could definitely hit the ball and he has that lefty junk on it. If you don’t fight against him, he is going to be a nighmare for you.
“Lefties are tricky and slimy. It’s always a lot of struggle to play them and you have to keep doing more,” he said.
The new rebound ace courts at the refurbished R.K. Khanna Tennis stadium didn’t suit Somdev but he hopes to adjust to the surface.
“The courts are very bouncy and I had trouble gauging the returns here. I have had trouble adjusting to the courts and it is affecting my footwork on which I rely a lot. But now that I have played a match, I hope to get only better,” he said.
Somdev is one of those rare Indians who enjoys to grind from the back court and the 25-year-old counter-attacker minces no words when he says he enjoys wearing down his opponents.
“Even if I dont have a big serve or huge groundstrokes, I have worked very hard on my fitness and it is fun watching the other guy struggle. It sometimes doesn’t look pretty, but you have to get the job done,” he said.