India tennis stars look to leave mark on CWG debut (Tennis Preview)

NEW DELHI - Indian tennis players look good for a fair clutch of medals on home turf as the sport makes its debut at the 19th Commonwealth Games here Monday.

The hosts are aware the absence of top stars from Australia, England, Scotland and Canada have brightened their chances in the Games and they are making no bones about declaring that they look to claim a good share of the 15 medals at stake.

However, knowing how fickle the sport can be, the Indian tennis players are quick to explain that they are not expecting any freebies.

“In tennis, nothing can be taken for granted. The target is to win a lot of medals. It is great that tennis is making its debut at the Games at home. It will be exciting to be a part of it,” said Mahesh Bhupathi, who is looking to recreate the magic of the past with doubles partner Leander Paes.

The fact that India No.1 Somdev Devvaraman, ranked 100 in the world, has got the top billing in the men’s singles and 131st-ranked Sania Mirza is seeded second in the women’s singles condenses the picture.

“There will be a lot of good seeded and unseeded players. In the first round, I play a guy whom I lost to in 2003 in college, so yeah, it was a long time back. I feel if I give my best, I will have my chances in the Games,” said Somdev.

India’s new hero Rohan Bopanna has a busy day Monday. Ranked 473, Bopanna takes on unranked Robert Buyinza of Uganda in the morning and in the evening, with Nirupama Sanjeev, will be bracing for a tough encounter against the top seeds from Australia in the mixed doubles.

Sania and Paes, seeded second, are also scheduled for a late evening match Monday and play Saint Lucia’s Stacey Nykita Roheman and Alberton Richelieu. The Indians last teamed up at the 2006 Doha Asian Games where they claimed the gold and stay favourites here.

India’s young Poojashree Venkatesha squares up against Nthabiseng Eunicia Nqosa of Lesotho in the women’s singles.

The experience of Paes, Bhupathi and Sania, who have played in the Olympics and the Asian Games, will count a lot. It will be a first experience for Somdev and women players Poojashree and Rushmi Chakravarthi to represent the country in a multi-discipline event.

Nirupama, 34, and the mother of a four-year-old girl, also had won a bronze with Mahesh Bhupathi in 1998 Bangkok Asian Games.

The Indian men’s and women’s players practised in the refurbished R.K. Khanna Tennis Stadium Saturday and expressed satisfaction with the facilities.

With the home conditions to their advantage, India have a good chance of making tennis’s Commonwealth debut a memorable one.

(Pragya Tiwari can be contacted at pragya.t@ians.in)