Chennai, Dec 30 (IANS) India’s No.1 Somdev Devvarman hopes to go one better and clinch the 2011 Aircel ATP Chennai Open tennis, beginning here Jan 3.
Somdev made it to the final in 2009, when he lost to Croat Marin Cilic.
The 25-year-old Indian Davis Cupper, however, prefers to focus on his first round opponent who will be known Saturday when the lots will be drawn for the 32-player main draw of the $450,000 tournament.
Somdev is the only Indian to receive an automatic direct entry into the main draw in view of his ranking, 108, and as such, the expectations are high.
‘There are talented players like Thomas Berdych, Marin Cilic and Janko Tipsarevic, but the most important thing to me is who I am playing first, as I will only progress to the later rounds only if I cross the first stage,’ he said at a media interaction here Thursday.
The qualifying rounds will commence Saturday.
In 2009, Somdev came up with an astonishing performance to reach the final after receiving a walk-over from one of the tournament favourites Rainer Schuettler of Germany in the semi-finals.
Devvarman was then ranked 202 and his Chennai Open showing proved to be the turning point in his fledgling tennis career as he made steady progress through the rankings thereafter, breaking into top-100 this year.
In the 2010 edition, Somdev, again receiving a wild card, lost in the second round to Tipsarevic after getting past Schuettler in the opening round.
Despite the pre-tournament hype around him, Devvarman, winner of the singles gold medals at the Commonwealth and Asian Games this year, admitted he needed to play at much higher level if he hoped to win the title.
‘Obviously, that was a great result and I’ve had a good pre-season.I am looking forward to the Chennai Open.
‘My game is a bit passive, so I’ve been trying to retrieve balls more often. Against top players, you don’t get too many chances, and so you will have to take them,’ he said.
Somdev has set himself various targets in 2011 and those obviously include getting into top 75 and then 50.
