‘I’ve potential to be top-20 player’
NEWDELHI: It has been a remarkable rise for Prajnesh Gunneswaran, who broke into the top 100 of ATP rankings on Monday. After a knee injury all but ended his career, the left-hander has turned his career around with sheer grit. In one year, he has jumped 143 rungs, won two Challenger events, an Asian Games bronze and played in his maiden Grand Slam at the Australian Open.
With no points to defend in the first part of the year, Prajnesh wants to ride this momentum. His confidence is soaring but having experienced the lows of sporting life, he has his feet on the ground.
The 29-year-old from Chennai, however, believes he can reach the elite level in world tennis. “I do feel I have the potential to be a top-20 player but there is lot of work to do to get there. I need to improve a lot, stay fit. But it’s definitely possible,” Prajnesh, who has climbed to 97, said over phone from Bangkok, where he is playing a Challenger.
“I should get an entry in the French Open main draw; that is something I am looking forward to. I would be looking to get into Wimbledon and US Open too.”
It has been a while since an Indian was in the top 100. The last was Yuki Bhambri in 2016 when he achieved a career high of 83. “It is not easy. To be fair, ranking was never a conscious goal for me. It has always been about improving my game.”
He has come a long way since 2012, when he struggled with injury and could hardly play for a couple of years. He reunited with his German trainer Christian Bosse to turn things around.
“He got me out of the cycle of injuries. I followed his programme and it worked so well . I never doubted my potential and always had the drive to continue.
“Injury was a tough phase. My game was good but physically I was not in a good condition.”
Things started to fall in place in 2017. The tie against China in April 2018 where he won the live fifth rubber against Wu Yibing boosted confidence. He won three qualifying rounds to enter the Australian Open main draw, losing to American rising star Francis Tiafoe in the first round. A relief after missing out on a lucky loser’s spot in the 2018 French Open as he had left Paris.
“2018 was a great year for me. I was consistent and I want to continue the same way.”