‘Beyond top-20 anyone is beatable’

Yeah,this will be the third year running that I’ll be a part of the Chennai Open. And I have some great memories from there,like partnering Carlos Moya last year to reach the quarters in the doubles. I was playing with someone twice my age and it was quite fun. Plus,playing an ATP event at home is always great because you have everyone in the crowd cheering for you. And this year specially,I have trained well and I can’t wait to start the year.

The line-up at Chennai is a tough one with Tomas Berdych,Richard Gasquet,Stanislas Wawrinka and many others. How has the stepping into the big league come about this year?

Definitely the field at the Open is getting increasingly tougher every year. And it will be a good test and a challenge for me to see where my game is. But I have had some experience playing against the top players at the Miami Masters in March this year,and I feel that apart from the top 20 players,if you are at the best of your game and fitness,anyone in the world is beatable.

You have also played world number 7 David Ferrer this year. How was that experience?

Against Ferrer at the Malaysian Open I became too nervous,and came on to the court giving him too much respect to actually be able to play my own game. I had a lead initially but I threw it and soon he was all over me. I don’t think I am playing doubles at Chennai but that’s what I’ve learnt from the Ferrer match — I don’t want to make the same mistake again. That if I draw up against,say Berdych,or some other top seed,I just play to my strengths and not think about my opponent.

How have you been working on your fitness and training? Is there any particular aspect of the game you want to change or improve?

For the past three months I have been training in Nick Bollitieri’s academy in Florida,and for the past two weeks I was in Las Vegas,where Andre Agassi’s coach Gil Reyes was coaching me. Gil pays individual attention to my game and its requirements and gives me diet tips as well. I was lucky that Fernando Verdasco was training there as well so everyday I would hit with him for a couple of hours and then sweat it out in the gym —those were two solid weeks of preparation. At the academy in Florida too I get to train as well as get hitting sessions with some great players like Ryan Harrison,who has just got a wild card for the Australian Open main draw. So the preparations have been good.

No more injury worries that kept you out for much of 2010…?

Yeah,I was out for two-three months in the peak season in 2010 due to an ankle injury but I guess it’s fine now. I’ve been playing for some months and it doesn’t seem to recur like it has earlier. And I had to withdraw from the Youth Olympics final due to cramps and fatigue caused by high temperatures so I have started taking care of that aspect as well that I hydrate well both during training and matches.

How is your match fitness and what are the targets?

I am in good shape. I played two Challenger events in November,where after playing the qualifying rounds I won a round in the main draw in Virginia. I followed it up with two events in the Futures circuit. All this preparation will help at Chennai and if I win a couple of rounds there,it would be awesome.