DIVIJ SHARAN: An Interview

Photo: Bhagya Iyyavoo

Divij Sharan is a man on a mission. After his Gold Medal win with doubles partner Rohan Bopanna, there seems to be no looking back. Fresh from winning his fourth career doubles title at the Tata Open in Pune earlier this month, Divij is at his career-high ranking of No. 36 on the ATP rankings. In this exclusive interview with Advantage Tennis, Divij Sharan opens up about life after his Gold Medal win at the Asian Games and his plans for the future.

You have been a successful doubles player having won four ATP world tour titles and are currently ranked 37. With the 2018 season coming to an end soon, what are your goals for 2019?

It has been another positive year and in the last year my performance graph has been improving. At the end of last year I was ranked just inside the top 100, and this year I made it to No. 36. The quarter final at Wimbledon and the gold medal at the Asian games have been my best performance last year. I am very happy with my progress and it is just a matter of getting a few big results. My goal for this year is to crack into the top 20 and I am working hard towards it.

In 2018, you made it to the quarter finals of the Wimbledon Championships. Is a Grand Slam doubles title getting to be a close and achievable goal?

I made it to the quarter finals of Wimbledon I won three matches and I was just three matches away from winning the title. I have played

some long close matches against the top teams in the world. I played against Lopez and Lopez in Paris recently who have won a few Grand Slams. These wins have been very encouraging for me and I don’t see why I cannot win a Grand Slam title, Ofcourse I would have to strike a few matches together to win a big event and I have to win six matches in a row, but I am feeling positive and believe strongly in my game.

You have done India proud by winning the Gold medal in the men’s doubles event at the Palembang Asian games earlier this year. Are your sights now set on an Olympic medal?

52 Advantage Tennis Grand Slam Yearbook 2019 The Olympics are still two years away. My job is to keep playing better and improving on my results. Ofcourse it would be very special if a get a chance to play for India and win a medal.

What did winning the Gold at the Asian games mean to your career? Tennis is an individual sports. I play for about 30 weeks a year on the circuit but playing for the Asian games was very exciting as there were athletes from different fields representing India and in such events like the Asian games, Olympics and the Davis cup, our wins get highlighted. Winning the Gold medal means a lot to me but along with me, my parents, my coaches and my team got recognition for our achievements. The effort we have been putting in and the sacrifices that have been made by them for me and my career all came into recognition.

What has been the best win in your career?

It is tough to say but the Gold

medal at the Asian Games and quarter final at Wimbledon have been my best wins.

You have partnered with a number of players in your career. Who has been your best partner?

I have played with a lot of players through the years. Initially I played a lot with Vishnu during my transition period from the Futures to the Challengers. I have also played a lot of matches with Yuki. I played almost three years with him. I have played with lots of players for example, after the U.S. Open 2017 till Wimbledon 2018, I must have played with 20 odd partners. Every week was a different guy. It was difficult in the beginning to try and constantly find a partner to play with. But it gave me a chance to focus on myself and my game rather than worry about which partner to play with and how my partner is playing.

Photo: Bhagya Iyyavoo

What was your partnership with Rohan Bopanna like during the Asian Games?

We have known each other for a very long time and we really get along. We have both been a part of Indian Oil for a long time. Every time we are at an ATP tournament or at Grand Slams, we practice together. So when we played together at the Asian Games, it did not feel new because we are very familiar with each other. He makes me feel comfortable on the court and ofcourse he has a lot of experience which also helps.

Do you see your partnership with Rohan Bopanna going any further? Well, I am glad you asked me that question. Infact we are going to play doubles in 2019 together.

What made you want to become a tennis player?

Basically when I was young I was a very sporty kid .I used to take part in races and in school sports days.

I used to play all kinds of sports. When I was about 7–8 years old they opened a tennis academy in my school (Modern School Vasant Vihar, New Delhi). One day my dad asked me if I wanted to play tennis and I said yes why not. That is how I got into tennis. After two years of playing I won my first tournament and when I was 13 years old I played for Delhi state. When I was 14 years old I played Junior Davis Cup and when I was 18 years old, I played all the Junior Grand Slam events. That is when I took a conscious decision to become a tennis player.

What do you enjoy apart from tennis?

I don’t get too much time to do other things. I have my warm ups, my fitness routine and my practice which takes up a lot of time. When I get time off I like to catch up with my family and I prefer going for a movie and watching TV shows. I like spending time with my family because I don’t have too much free time so I try to eat at home and to be with them.

Do you feel lonely at the tour?

Most of the guys all get along. We all are friends off the court and competitors on the court. On the doubles side we now have quite lot of players from India. It is not that bad at all.

Amongst the Asian countries, China and Japan have found success in tennis on the international scene. Why hasn’t India managed to produce a Grand Slam player in singles till now?

It is not that easy. Tennis is a sport that is played in every country but it is just one person or very few people that are excelling at it. We need a sports culture, which has not been there in India in the past. When I was growing up and I was very young, parents would say that why do you want to take up sports and that there is no scope in sports. Most parents were not comfortable with their kids taking up sports as a career but my parents were very supportive of me and that made it a lot easier. Now things are changing in India.

There are so many league sports in India. There are so many opportunities in India now. You can be a coach, you can be a television commentator. There are so many options now. The government is also helping a lot now and supporting sports. After we won the Asian games gold medal, we got prizes and also cash awards from the central and state government. These are all positive effects on sports in India today.

Are there international standard academies in India to help nurture the talent of our youngsters?

A combination of so many things is required for players to come through to the top of the game. Parental support is very important. Tennis is a very expensive sport so you need financial support as well. A good coach is also very important, a coach who has passion for the game and wants to promote a world class player and not just someone who wants to coach to earn his livelihood. I feel the quality of training in our country is still not as good as it should be. There are some very good coaches at the higher level of tennis but we also need proper coaching when kids just start to play at the young age of 5-6 years. So yes, more academies and coaching facilities would help. Does the popularity of cricket in India overshadow the other sports in our country?

Cricket is the most popular sport in India and is followed by almost every Indian. I feel that earlier Indians were only interested in cricket but now they have developed interest in other sports as well. Now in India there is more exposure and awareness in other sports and people are developing interest in sports other than cricket. For example today Mary Kom is a household name in India because of her success in boxing and she has inspired many youngsters in India. The same goes for other such sports as well.

Is there political interference in tennis in India?

I don’t think so. Tennis is an individual sport and your results speak for themselves. So there really can’t be too much political interference.

How active is the AITA been in promoting tennis in India?

I have been playing and supporting myself in tennis. In the past, I know that the AITA has been organising some juniors programs but I don’t know what they are doing now. I am not taking any support from them. I support myself.

Why is success in singles still eluding the Indians?

We have had a few players who have broken into the top 100 in singles. Somdev and Yuki have been in the top 100. We currently have three players in the top 150. But I think it’s a matter of one player to make a breakthrough and to reach the top of the game. The more exposure players get and the more popular tennis becomes as a sport in India, the more the chances are of producing better players.