There are two things the usually fractious Indian tennis community agrees upon: the country’s strongest singles hope lies in Yuki Bhambri and that it resides in the most fragile of bodies.
And so, when Bhambri took the court for his first-round qualifying match against Marco Cecchinato at India’s only tour event, the Chennai Open, on a cool Saturday evening, they were out to support him in numbers.
Fellow Indian players, including Leander Paes, were in attendance to just how far along the Delhi lad had come since his last injury setback – a tennis elbow that kept him away from the game for six months in 2016. Though he shanked a few balls, the belief never wavered as Bhambri defeated his Italian opponent 7-5, 6-1 in 70 minutes. On Sunday, in the second round of qualifying, he beat the world No. 110 Nicolas Kicker 6-3, 6-1 in 59 minutes to make it into the main draw.
“I wanted to get off the blocks and sprint,” said Bhambri, who hadn’t let frustration creep up on him during the long lay-off. “This is the time players are rusty because they’re coming from a month, month-and-a-half off and they haven’t played matches. But I wanted to be in the zone because I was done with all the training, I was bored with all the training. And I wanted to go out and play.”
Injury-prone body
A stand-out talent since his junior days – he won the 2009 Australian Open boys’ title and was subsequently ranked No. 1 in juniors – Bhambri’s pro-career has been derailed multiple times due to injuries. Despite being one of India’s top players, he has not found financial aid from any quarters to rope in the necessary support in the form of travelling coaches and physical trainers to address an already injury-prone body.
He broke into the top-100 in 2015 and soon followed up with a career high of 88, but sustained the elbow injury in March 2016, which kept him out of tennis till late September. As a result, the rankings suffered. “More than where the rankings are, or what you’re achieved, it was more about not being able to play,” said the 24-year-old.
“When you started out, this is what you enjoy doing. Yes, you’re making a livelihood out of it, but something you can’t forget is that you enjoy it. It’s (injury) is keeping you away from it. And that’s something that is hard. I turned pro when I was 18. In the six years on the pro tour I’ve probably spent only three and a half years playing. So that’s a lot of time missed. But I might just end up playing a lot longer because I missed so much. It’s probably not the last time the body gets hurt. But I’m going to keep pushing till the time I’m motivated to play.”
Still only 24
With age still on his side, Bhambri is trying not to be too disheartened by the constant stops and starts that he’s had to endure. He says that the day after he knew of his injury, he started rehab. Getting ready for the next step. Keeping focussed on the bigger picture and the larger goals.
“He has never tired of it or thought of stopping,” said his mother Indu, who is accompanying him at the Chennai Open. “Because he knows he’s good. He’s known that since he was 14 years old and was beating players much older than him.”
That absolute confidence in himself and his game, despite the physical letdowns, is what has marked him for success. It shows in the aggression on his groundstrokes, that rely more on timing and intelligence than sheer power.
“Every time I’ve come back, I’ve come back better,” said Bhambri, who has put on a lot more muscle on his lanky frame. “I’ve tried to push myself more to improve more. Not just physically or mentally, but game-wise. I want to add a few things. I always feel like I want to come back better than how I was. I’ve always done that over the years and hopefully I can do that again this time.
“I want to keep playing and that’s what pushes me to keep coming back and trying again and again. I watched Davis Cup ties, watched fellow competitors play the [Grand] Slams and I missed being there. Nothing replaces that feeling, so I wanted to get back and I wanted to compete and keep giving myself another chance to do that.”
Baby steps
He made a return to competitive tennis, after the elbow injury, in September and closed 2017 with a title win at the Hong Kong Futures. It’s not a trophy he covets, but believes it was important to give him the necessary push going into the new year. Bhambri had dropped to a low of 552 in October, but has already climbed to 474, according to the ATP rankings list released on Monday.
“Baby steps, keep playing, put the hard work in and results will come. I believe in that,” he said. “If I can play out the season, I’ve played only one entire season in my career and I finished 88. And then too I felt that if I had set a higher target I could have done better. I definitely think I can push further into 60-70.”
Bhambri has been sporting an arm brace in Chennai, a reminder of his physical vulnerability. But he doesn’t let the fractured past hold him hostage. “You can’t stop yourself. It’s all forgotten,” he said of the past niggles and injuries. “Once you’re on court and you’re ready to play a match you know the body can hold up. You know you’ve done well and the body can stretch up. You’ve done the work. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be stepping up on court, if something was bothering me. You’re out there, you’re going to try and reach that extra ball even if you can’t reach it. I think that’s just in an athlete’s nature; you can’t stop.”