Every match is an opportunity, says Indian star Ramkumar
dubai — Ramkumar Ramanathan is that rare player that is not afraid of approaching the net and volleying against the baseline warriors of modern tennis.
The Indian wild card, who hit the headlines in 2017 with a stunning straight–set win over Austrian Dominic Thiem, showed his serveand-volley skills against the defending champion Roberto Bautista Agut in their first round clash in Dubai on Monday night.
But the world number 18 Bautista Agut, who is in the form of his life having reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open last month, weathered the storm in the opening set to record a straight-set (6-4 6-3) victory.
The 24-year-old Ramanathan, though, looked at the positive sides after his first round defeat.
“Every match is an opportunity. I came out just wanting to give my best, fight for every point. I know Roberto is a very solid player,” Ramanathan told Khaleej Times.
“I just have to thank the tournament director, Salah Tahlak, for giving the wild card. I felt the court was playing fast and it was in my favour. I could serve and volley.
“I think I played a pretty decent match. I gave it all I had, I served pretty well. It’s a learning curve. These are my chances to learn and get better as a player.”
The world No. 137 says he needs more matches to improve his game and his ranking. “I have to keep playing lot of higher level tournaments like Dubai. The bigger the tournament is it’s good for your confidence. It’s a great exposure,” he said.
“You get to play with top players. It’s time for me to step it up now and hopefully I can start playing some good tennis.”
Ramanathan, who plays only singles on the Tour, revealed why he could also be a good doubles player. “The thing with doubles is that I need to be better in rankings. Once I become better with my rankings, I will surely love to play doubles because I like to go and serve and volley,” he said.
I have to keep playing lot of higher level tournaments like Dubai. The bigger the tournament is it’s good for your confidence
Ramkumar Ramanathan