Divij’s slow and steady progress
It is never too late in tennis and Divij Sharan is one such example. After almost 15 years on the circuit, the doubles pro has touched the height of his career.
It has been a memorable year for the Delhi boy as he clinched the ATP 250 European Open doubles title with American partner Scott Lipsky in Antwerp, Belgium, and breaking into world top 50.
“It has been a great year for me. This is the first time that I have played all the Grand Slams in the same year. I have also reached my career best ranking and am keen build from here in 2018,” Sharan told this paper from Bratislava, Slovakia.
According to the latest ATP rankings only two Indians are in the top 50 in doubles — Rohan Bopanna, currently 15th and Sharan. Purav Raja ( 62), Leander Paes ( 70) and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan ( 97) are the other top 100 Indian players.
Asked what was the driving force behind his long but not too successful career, pat came the reply, “The love for the game and trying to be the best at what I do.
“I owe it to my parents and family for all their support and the sacrifices they have made. Also all my coaches and trainers who have helped through my career.”
The Delhi Paris: Lionel Messi knows the teams he fears most at the 2018 World Cup: champions Germany, Brazil, France and Spain.
“I think that at the moment, they’re the strongest teams who look the best, are playing the best, with the best individuals,” Messi told TyC Sports, an Argentine TV channel, last week.
The five- time Ballon d’Or winner identified the key criteria that will spearhead their challenges: strong squads, star players, a team identity and looking the part.
But while naming the would- be contenders isn’t hard, what is in store for the rest of the 32- team field?
The five giants have won 13 of the last 16 World Cups between them. Spain and Germany both qualified without losing, while Brazil sealed first place in the South American group with four rounds to play.
France won their group but, as in the Euros last year, were alternately brilliant and toothless, such as in a shocking 0- 0 draw at home to Luxembourg.
Argentina squeaked through by winning their last game, away to Ecuador, and inevitably it was Messi who hit a hattrick to save his nation when staring into the abyss of elimination. How Italy wish they had a Messi in their ranks. But that near miss hardly bodes well for a country dreaming of emulating the Diego Maradona inspired victory of 1986.
Yet form can be misleading, as Spain and Brazil’s crushing losses to the Dutch and Germans four years ago showed.
England won in 1966, but since then the nation that invented the sport and boasts the richest league in the world, has reached just one semi- final. Gareth Southgate, the England manager, has been blooding youngsters from the ● successful youth teams and there is reason for optimism in England, but maybe 2018 will come too soon.
According to Fifa, Mexico has the third highest number of registered footballers — behind only Brazil and Germany — amongst World Cup finalists, yet in 15 finals appearances, they have never gone past the quarters.
With 142 million people, Russia have the biggest population of any of the finalists. The Soviet Union once reached a semi- final, but that was a long time ago and in a different world. Recent scandals surrounding active on the ATP tours, made the final of his last three tournaments, which boosted his ranking. He finished runner- up at Challenger events in Brest and Tashkent with different partners.
“My next goal is to break into the top 30 so that I can play all the ATP Masters events in 2018,” he said.
It was a positive start of the year for Sharan, who reached the final of the season- opening Chennai Open with Purav Raja and consolidated as the year passed by.
Sharan matured late and developed his game over the years. Finishing the year on a strong note will be on his mind.
His ranking makes him a hot favourite to pair up with Bopanna in the Davis Cup.
Also, he has to identify a permanent partner with whom he will play regularly on the tour, because playing every other tournament with a new man hampers progress. Raja, who was Sharan’s regular partner till 2016, now pairs up with Paes.
Asked if he would continue his partnership with Lipsky, Sharan said, “We will speak about it. Scott is done for the year and headed home. I plan to play some Challengers next month before calling it a year.” Russian sport mean that success for the hosts might be greeted with more suspicion than acclaim. With a population of just over three million and two World Cup titles, Uruguay are again following their own succesful template. They have produced enough top- end talent, led by Luis Suarez, Diego Godin and Edinson Cavani, to give them a chance of beating anyone.
Croatia have Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Ivan Perisic, which is good, but they finished second to Iceland in their qualifying group, which is not.
Portugal have Cristiano Ronaldo, but their greatest success — winning the 2016 Euros — came despite playing without the world player of the year for three- quarters of the final.
Belgium are enjoying a golden generation, but Switzerland and Denmark have only silver and bronze ones.
Poland, not such a small nation in population terms, have the prolific Robert Lewandowski, the top scorer in global qualifying with 16 goals. Costa Rica reached the last eight in 2014 and are ranked 22nd but alongside Iran and Tunisia will still be the teams in the third pot everyone wants to draw.
Tunisia and Saudi Arabia both won games in the first of their four finals appearances but neither has won since and their last points came when they drew 2- 2 in Stuttgart in 2006.
Panama may already have used up their miracle, scoring two minutes from the end of their qualifying campaign to beat Costa Rica, eliminate the United States and qualify for their first finals.
It has been a memorable year for the Delhi boy as he clinched the ATP 250 European Open doubles title with American partner Scott Lipsky in Antwerp, Belgium, before breaking into world top 50