It was not a humiliating defeat

I think this was a high quality game for most part of the match. Dementieva is easily one of the hardest hitters in the game, and her serve has improved immensely since I last played her.

It was a proud moment for me to have some of the biggest names in Indian tennis by the courtside when I played this match. This included the likes of Jaideep Mukherjea, Naresh Kumar, CGK and Mahesh Bhupathi, Gaurav and Arati Natekar and of course, my coach, Asif Ismail. It was reassuring to know at the end that they all felt that the improvements in my game were headed in the right direction.

The disappointment of a 1st round loss could not, however, compare with the disillusionment and despair I’ve felt ever since I got the news about the untimely passing away of my first tennis coach, Srikkanth Sir.

I started playing tennis under him as a 6-year-old and though I moved on to train with other coaches, Srikkanth Sir remained my greatest well-wisher and a dear family friend until his death.