Tennis legend Anand Amritraj was worried about singles players not winning matches

Former Davis Cup captain Anand Amritraj is baffled that India’s top singles players are unable to win close matches on the ATP World Tour despite having a decent game to back them up, saying it is “worrisome”.

Amritraj said that at the World Tour level, more than scoring runs, it is the ability to soak up pressure and make the right calls in crunch situations that dictates the outcome of matches and Indian players need to work on that.

Sasikumar Mukund, the country’s highest-ranked singles player, Ramkumar Ramanathan and Sumit Nagal chased the higher-ranked players close at the Tata Open Maharashtra but eventually fell short to reach the first round.

They all took the match to a stage where either player could have won, but couldn’t win the points when it mattered. Mukund, ranked 340, lost 4-6 5-7 to Flavio Coboll (ranked 171), while Ramkumar (ranked 435) lost to world number 62 Pedro Martinez despite taking a one-set lead (6-3 5-7 3-6). .

Nagal, who has dropped to 503 after the injury-forced break, stretched world number 54 Flip Krajinovic to three points but lost the match when he tried to improvise in the decider in a tight situation.

“I was very impressed with Sumit Nagal, I thought he played brilliantly; just a couple of bad shot choices in the last set at 4-4 and it cost him the match,” Amritraj, who captained India’s Davis Cup team. 2013 and 2018, told PTI in an interaction.

“I watched Saikumar Mukund again, very close, 6-4 7-5, a couple of shots here and there. I don’t understand why our boys as well as they are playing can’t win matches on the ATP Tour. They are doing well in the Challengers but they have to win matches at bigger events. “Fixing matches seems to be a problem.”

The organizers gave 15-year-old Manas Dhamne a wild card race and he coped brilliantly. He didn’t win the match but put up a good fight against the experienced American Michael Mmoh without getting overwhelmed by the situation.

Amritraj, 71, said Dhamne’s loss is still acceptable but experienced players like Nagal and Mukund should be able to win. “Closing the book is a concern. In the case of a 15-year-old, it’s a lack of experience, but coming in for Sumit Nagali and Mukund, they’ve played enough on Tour to close out matches.”

“Tennis, as we know, is all between the ears. Everyone has shots, backhands, forehands, volleys, and he serves at this level of the game. It’s about how the match is decided. That it all depends on confidence or what’s going on in your head. “Set or in the business end of the match, how you serve it. It comes down to a few points here and there.” Amritraj said frequent injuries to Indian players is also not a good sign.

Nagal underwent hip surgery in November 2021 and was out of action for about four months. When he started competing, he lost 11 first-round matches and is ranked in the top 500.

His biggest win came on his favorite surface (clay) against Germany’s Daniel Altmaier, then ranked 103rd in October 2022 (now 96th). Mukund had previously been troubled by a back problem and had also withdrawn from the Davis Cup against Pakistan due to a leg injury in 2019. Yuki Bhambri and Prajnesh Gunneswaran missed crucial periods in their careers due to injuries.

“Mukund is 25. Sumit is about the same age. At this age, the number one thing is to stay fit and stay fit. I’m amazed at the number of injuries these young kids are getting these days. “In our generation, that hardly ever happened. I don’t know if it’s physical happiness or what it is. Now you look at Yuki, he hasn’t played much but he was lucky enough to come back (injury) and play.

“He played Davis Cup with me for five years. He’s one of my favorite players, he’s been out of singles for a while and now he’s just playing doubles with Sak (Saketh Myneni).”

India’s higher ranked player at the moment is Mukund at 340, a phenomenon that speaks volumes about the current state of Indian tennis. Amritraj, who finished third at the US Open in 1974, is clearly disappointed.

“It’s quite sad for me that someone who is ranked 340 is the best we have, exactly in the rankings. Sumit Nagal had a chance to be in the top 100 or 150. I’ve always wondered why Ramkumar wasn’t in the top 100. It’s incredible. I think they all struggled as singles.”

Yuki Bhambri’s singles career has stalled due to injuries, he has decided to play only in the doubles format to prolong his career. While Amritraj feels that Yuki should not ignore the singles completely, he does not want Ramkumar to follow the Delhi player in making this decision.

“Ram should stay in singles for at least another year. There is always time to play doubles, Rohan is playing at 42. He is playing well. There is no reason to knock out singles and focus on singles at 28, which Ram On.

“As for Yuki, he had to make a call. He has a good partner in Saketh Mynen. 30 is also maybe a good time to move into doubles. Yuki has played some amazing singles five or six years ago. I’m not sure if he should ignore his singles, but it seems it’s like he’s made up his mind. It’s a real shame because he’s still very talented,” he said.