Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan is very excited after winning back to back Challenger titles on European clay with Sriram Balaji last fortnight. Nevertheless, he has set a realistic goal of making a return to the Grand Slam at Wimbledon next year.
In the capital, at a stop-over before heading to Colombia for two more challengers, life put things in perspective.
“We didn’t have any hope. We are working. Water your plant, and see what happens,” said Jeevan, quite clear not to worry for the best results.
television commentary
Preparation for the Challenger title was two weeks of television commentary from studios in Mumbai, exclusively in Tamil.
“It was not a holiday. I had trained well with Navdeep (Singh), Vishnu (Vardhan) in those 14 days. I took a public speaking course in college and one on ATP too, so I enjoyed doing commentary. Somdev (Devavarman) was on the second level. He is very well groomed and very professional,” said Jeevan.
He is happy with the relationship with Balaji, and recalls the pleasant experience of having an Indian dinner every day for a week in France on the way to the second Challenger title, as the hotel was owned by an Indian.
mutual respect
Confidence is very important in doubles. Balaji and I have mutual respect. We are in no hurry to go back to the highest level. We want to work We know that whenever we get to a Grand Slam, we can go deep.
“With some players enjoying the 50% marks they earned in 2019 by the end of this year, the actual rankings will take some more time to emerge. We may not get a chance to play the Australian Open or the French. Wimbledon could be a good chance”, said Jeevan, who has participated in all four Grand Slams, and three years in a row at Wimbledon.
He was grateful for the pillars of strength in his career – mother Kalyani and sister Swapna, who watch his matches online, keep in touch with him and boost his morale.
Jeevan won the ATP Tour doubles title with Rohan Bopanna, and looks forward to the ATP Tour following the Challengers in Spain in July.
If they keep up the good work, Jeevan and Balaji will soon find themselves in the top-100 of the world rankings, and work their way up to higher levels of the sport.