Coach Wadhera savours time spent training Divij

It was Divij’s father Madhav who had requested Birbal to assist the globe-trotting player on various tours. One such tour was the four-Test home and away tennis series between India and Pakistan in 2006 that was played at Islamabad,Lahore,Chandigarh and New Delhi. While India fielded an exciting team,including Rohan Bopanna,Karan Rastogi,Vivek Shokeen and Divij,the Pakistan team led by Aisam-ul Haq,included Aqeel Khan,Asim Shafik and Nomi Qamar. Going down the memory lane,the coach added,”He was one of the most consistent and regular performer on the Tour. It was always my dream to see him play in Davis Cup.”

It was Divij’s sheer hardwork as he jumped almost 500 places to Top 400 in the ATP rankings under Birbal’s tutelage. His performances did not go unnoticed as he was drafted into the Davis Cup team for the tie against Kazakhstan in 2007.

By that time his frutiful stint with Birbal had ended. “All the coaches that I have played under had an impact on my game. They were helpful in building my game and I am really grateful to them. They must be happy to see me reach at this stage,” said Divij.

Today,Divij,at 97,is fourth highest ranked doubles player from India and now trails Leander Paes,Mahesh Bhupati and Rohan Bopanna. After being named in the reserves for the Davis Cup tie against New Zealand,he not only replaced Saketh Myneni in the Indian team but also showed great rapport with his long-time playing partner Vishnu Vardhan to give India and unassailable 3-0 lead in the tie,which India eventually won by 5-0.

“I was disappointed to see his name in the reserves first,but then he showed why is an asset in doubles for India. I am really happy for him,” asserted the proud coach.