Where it all began

For years,the Chennai Open — now India’s only ATP tournament — had featured only the distant possibility of a home name being among its list of champions. Wild cards were given out to Indians to give them a head start,with hope resting on home advantage rather than ability. But in 2009,Devvarman ensured that things would change. Beating opponents such as former world No.1 Carlos Moya,and the giant Ivo Karlovic,he endeared himself to the crowd on his way to the final against Cilic. All this just six months into the pro tour.

Peering into the crystal ball,many could be forgiven for thinking that that performance was just the start of something great,and that it would be simply a matter of time before Devvarman won a big title that would open the floodgates. But over the next 12 months,his best results came in the the lower-tier Challenger events,with a final near his college in Charlottesville,and a semi-final and a quarter-final at Seoul and Aptos.

In between,his Davis Cup feats did stand out,woven as they were into an intricate pattern in what turned out to be a relatively good year for Indian tennis. While the 24-year-old’s importance to team competitions is invaluable,the giant leap on the ATP tour is yet to come. Devvarman is now ranked 126th,with a place in the top 100 so near yet so far. But he’s certain he can make the move this season,for he doesn’t have many points to defend in the tour’s rolling,52-week rankings calendar.

“I have seen what it’s like now — all of it. I know what it takes out of you mentally and physically. The toughest part is losing every week and yet being motivated enough to carry on. Even when you get a big win,you can’t sit back and enjoy it,you have to keep on preparing for the next match,” he told The Sunday Express.

“You have to put the losses and the wins behind you and be really professional about it. Over the last year,I’ve realised I can compete with the big guys on tour. That’s why I’m very excited about this season.”

Qualifying for the US Open and winning a round was another standout moment of the year for him,while the revenge victory over Cilic in the second round at Washington saw his star rise further. But consistency,rather than the odd upset,has to be the focus for further improvement. “Beating Cilic was a good thing for sure,but I know that was just one match. I had been playing well,I had three-four weeks of good tennis under my belt,and the humid conditions were getting to him that day. It wasn’t the best moment of the year for me — that would have to be beating Rik de Voest in the World Group playoff in South Africa,” he said.

Devvarman’s schedule is similar to what it was last year in the run-up to the Chennai Open. He’s trained hard in the off season,with the highlight being the 21 days he spent training with world No.7 Andy Roddick. He did allow himself a few days to catch up with family in his hometown of Agartala,but Devvarman reached Chennai well in time. The difference this time,he says,is that his game has slowly changed over the last year. “I always focus on what I can control. It’s important that I stick to the basics and think about each match when it comes up. You have to complete step one to reach step two,” he said.

Indian flavour

There are many directions in which the Chennai Open could go this year,but most of the buzz is sure to be tinged with an Indian angle. Apart from Devvarman,Rohan Bopanna is part of the main draw as a wild-card entrant too,and having prepared for the new season with a short training camp with Mahesh Bhupathi,he will be keen to get the year off to a good start,and win at least a couple of rounds.

Many other Indians,including Yuki Bhambri who won five ITF titles on the senior tour in 2009,will be part of the qualifying rounds as well. The crowd will be hoping for another magical story to unfold through the week to make it special,but for now,hope and expectations will be at their highest for a home player to make himself heard.

The others

The rest of the field at the Chennai Open features many old names and some crowd favourites,but the highest-ranked player on display will be a Swede better known for his conquests on the tour over the last few months,than for his personality. Robin Soderling made history as being the first to end Rafael Nadal’s winning streak on clay,denying him a fifth consecutive French Open title.

He ended the year perfectly,too,getting a back-door entry into the season-ending World Tour Finals after Roddick’s withdrawal,and then sketching an incredible run in London,defeating Nadal and Novak Djokovic on his way to the semi-finals. Though he is currently ranked eighth in the world,the Swede,who is known to keep to himself and was once described as the ‘most unpopular guy on tour’,doesn’t inspire much confidence as a crowd-puller.

To address that problem,the tournament organisers decided to play safe and throw out a wild card to a player who now clearly states he’s playing for fun,but is at least guaranteed to bring in the crowds. Two-time Chennai Open champion Moya did not have this event slotted in as his season-opener,but will be making his way to the Indian city yet another time.

Even if he doesn’t go far in the singles,the popular Spaniard’s doubles progress in the tournament will also be keenly tracked because he’s teaming up with India’s Yuki Bhambri — who is a little more than half his age.

Defending champion Cilic and Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka are the other big names who have decided to start 2010 in Chennai,while other well-known travellers to India include Germany’s Rainer Schuettler,Serbian Janko Tipsarevic,Kevin Kim of the US and Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin.

The contenders

* Robin Soderling (Sweden)
Age: 25
Turned pro: 2001
Rank: 8
Career-high rank: 8
ATP titles: 2 (Lyon in 2004,2008,Milan in 2005,Bastad in 2009)
Best Slam performance: Final,French Open (2009)

* Marin Cilic (Croatia)
Age: 21
Turned pro: 2005
Rank: 14
Career-high rank: 13
ATP titles: 2 (Chennai,Zagreb 2009)
Best Slam performance: Quarter-finals,US Open (2009)

* Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland)
Age: 24
Turned pro: 2002
Rank: 21
Career-high: 9
ATP titles: Umag (Croatia) in 2006
Best Slam performance: Fourth round,US Open 2007,2008 and Wimbledon 2008,2009

* Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia)
Age: 25
Turned pro: 2002
Rank: 38
Career-high rank: 33
ATP titles: 0
Best Slam performance: Fourth round,Wimbledon 2007 and 2008

Dudi Sela (Israel)
Age: 24
Turned pro: 2002
Rank: 43
Career-high rank: 29
ATP titles: 0
Best Slam performance: Fourth round,Wimbledon 2009

‘Somdev has shown he can play great tennis’

Marin Cilic enjoyed his best year on the tour in 2009,and is returning to the place where his victory run began. The 21-year-old from Croatia,who defeated Somdev Devvarman in the final,and then lost to him later in the year at Washington,has an unlikely rivalry with the lower-ranked Indian. Cilic spoke to The Sunday Express about Devvarman’s game,and his own plans for 2010. Excerpts:

Last year,you got off to a great start at the Chennai Open. What are your plans for this year?

For 2010,my goal is to try and play better in the Masters Series tournaments,along with the Grand Slams. Good results in these will improve my ranking. But the smaller events is where I will have to get ready for the bigger tournaments,and starting with the Chennai Open,I will try to win as many matches as I can in a row.

Somdev Devvarman couldn’t beat you in the 2009 final,but he did manage to defeat you later in the year. What do you think of his game?

Somdev has shown this year that he can play great tennis and he has a good future. I have followed him throughout the season. He is a tough competitor and can play very well. I am really looking forward to playing with him again in Chennai.

How was the season overall? You ended the year at No 14,your highest so far.

This has been the best year of my career. I had good results in the Grand Slams,reaching the round of 16 twice and the quarter-finals once,apart from two titles in Chennai and Zagreb. In the last quarter of the year,especially at the US Open,I had some great results.

What was your India experience like in 2009? Anything in particular you are looking forward to this time?

This year will be my fourth time and the experience at the Chennai Open over last three years has been wonderful. I always experience a good atmosphere in India,the people here are really polite. The crowd was very supportive of me,even when I was playing their local favourite in the final.

At the China Open,you had a couple of impressive wins — Nikolay Davydenko and Rafael Nadal. What was it like defeating Nadal?

It was a great run,beating two top-10 players in a row for the first time. I played very good tennis there. It made me realise I could compete against the best.

Do you think Nadal will return to his best,considering the hard time he’s had with injuries?

Nadal is still at the top and the best player. Right now,due to his injury,he is not in form. The way he prepares now is going to be really important. We’ll have to wait and see if he will get back to his best.

You’ve managed to stay healthy over the year. What’s the key to maintaining fitness on the tour?

During my career,I haven’t had any major injuries. At a young age,I started to do the right things and now I am just building up on them. I am always trying to go into tournaments prepared,because that way you minimise your chances to get injured and maximise your potential to play well.

How do you look at the week ahead of you at the Chennai Open?

The Chennai Open this year has some really good players. It is the first tournament of 2010,so it is important. I have been working hard during the off-season so I can get some good results here and start off the season on a high like last year.