It's just qualifying for a Slam: Somdev

A proven giant-killer, Somdev is, instead, determined to make his presence felt by winning some matches in the main event.

The Assamese tennis sensation is the first Indian after veteran Leander Paes to make the main draw of the only Grand Slam played on clay court.

"To be honest I haven't thought about it yet. I'm just glad I qualified and I'll give it my best shot to win some matches in the main draw," Somdev said from Paris.

"It's just the qualifying of a Slam. Hopefully I'll be in the main draw of many more Slams in the future," he adds.

Clay court tennis is very demanding physically since balls come slow and long rallies test a player's endurance.

But Somdev likes to involve his opponents in long rallies and has the temperament to play long intense matches.

On whether the red surface would suit his style and give him more positive results, the youngster said he prefers the hard courts.

"I still prefer hard courts for sure. But I'm getting a lot better on clay. It's all about finding a way to get comfortable on whichever surface you're on and I feel like my coaches are really helping me through this transition," he said.

Talking about his expectations from the French Open, the 25-year-old said, "I'm just hoping to play some good matches and come out with some wins.

"I'm not consciously thinking of any results. I'm just focussed on the process of improving and learning from my matches. I would obviously prefer winning all the time but it's about learning and getting better."

He had been struggling on the ATP tour in the recent past but during the French Open qualifying event he was clinical. Just the first match was stretched to three sets and the other two matches he won for the loss of only eight games.

But he is not ready to go overboard about his form. "Form is a very relative term. It's just one tournament. I need to start playing a lot better more consistently. I'm more focussed on the things I can control and hopefully my results will keep getting better," he said.