JOIN USSomrise at right time
Dotted with some remarkable wins, fine comebacks, soul-stirring performances and the announcement of a reunion of the ‘Indian Express’, 2010 was a year of comfort, promise and hope for the game in the country.
Notwithstanding Paes’ two Slam titles — the other being the Wimbledon mixed doubles again with Black — the year clearly belonged to Somdev.
Apart from breaking into the top-100 in ATP rankings, the lad from Tripura also played a crucial role in India’s come-from-behind win over Brazil in the Davis Cup World Group play-off in Chennai and won the Commonwealth men’s singles gold before capping the year with two titles at the Asian Games (men’s singles and doubles with Sanam Singh).
The 25-year-old also bagged the team bronze medal at Asiad to greatly contribute to India’s best ever show at these Games.
Come to think of it, the Indian tennis players had a big splash at the Asian Games, where besides Somdev’s two gold medals, they also clinched the silver in the mixed doubles (Sania Mirza and Vishnu Vardhan) and bronze medals in both the women's singles (Sania) and men's team events. It was a massive improvement on the CWG show in Delhi where they managed just one gold, one silver and a bronze.
Somdev also succeeded in breaking into the Grand Slam singles main draws, but couldn’t go beyond the first-round, both at the French and the US Opens. The highest-ranked Indian player for some time now, Somdev has emerged as India’s torchbearer in men’s singles but one need not necessarily be bullish about his future prospects. While he certainly is India’s biggest hope in singles, the expectations surrounding him will have to be tempered a bit. For all his tenacity and never-give-up attitude, the youngster is still some distance away from being counted among the elite.
While Somdev provided a reason for hope, Rohan Bopanna hogged headlines for lacing sport with the message of peace. The Bangalorean’s association with Pakistani player Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi was one of the most poignant stories of 2010. While the Indo-Pak duo did exceedingly well to reach the men’s doubles final at the US Open, Bopanna and Qureshi won more accolades for sending out a strong message that sport can be a binding force between two hostile neighbours. The pair also won a couple of prestigious awards -- the 2010 'Grand Prix of Peace and Sports' and the 'Peace and Sport Image of the Year' award.
The year also witnessed some fascinating duels in Davis Cup where Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi's efforts in the doubles were complemented by Bopanna and Somdev’s singles victories. The 3-2 win over Brazil, despite being down 0-2 on the opening day, helped India stay among the elite group of nations.
The perfect icing on an already fruitful year came when Paes and Bhupathi announced they would play together in the coming year, ending a nine-year separation on the ATP circuit. The crack Indian duo, which regaled Indian fans with many a magic moment on court, will begin their reunion at next month’s Chennai Open where it all began for them. On a personal note, Paes enjoyed more success than Bhupathi on the Tour. The 37-year-old overtook Bhupathi as India's leading Grand Slam winner bagging his 12th title, one more than the Bangalore-based player.
Yuki Bhambri, however, was a big let-down after the promise he showed the previous year. His only notable performance came when he made it to the final of the first Youth Olympic Games in Singapore before eventually settling for silver.
At 141, Sania Mirza continues to be India’s best woman player. Battling controversies, poor form and a career-threatening wrist injury, the Hyderabadi showed some resurgence as the year approached its end. Besides two silver and bronze medals in CWG and Asian Games, the 24-year-old clinched the $75,000 Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge ITF meet in Dubai, a happy ending to a year which began with an unsavoury drama surrounding her marriage to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik.