Sriram Balaji: A quest for national colours

Sriram Balaji is a promising young man and fourth in the rankings among Indian players. Sportskeeda caught up with Sriram just after the Futures event in Chennai where he reached the semifinals. Excerpts from the conversation:

It was a rather close semi-final against Vijayant Malik. What do you think tilted the balance in his favour?

Indeed, it was anybody’s match. I had my chances to finish the first set at 5-2. But I had been playing a lot of matches through the week, singles and doubles. With the conditions being very hot and humid, I was drained after 5-2. At 5-4, I came back strong but a few horrible calls put me down and I lost that game. Till then, I was playing according to my plan. The tie-break was also a close affair.

In the second set, since I was really tired, I switched to my secondary plan, which is playing quick points. I moved to the net whenever I had an opportunity. The ploy worked, but again I was unlucky in the tie break.

There are quite a few Indian youngsters coming through the ranks now. What will help our players scale up the ladder?

Its really nice to see lots of young players doing well. They are all working hard. However, I still feel there is something missing with us Indian players. Maybe, we are not professional enough with aspects such as following a diet, doing regular warm up and cool down routines.

It is a demanding journey for a young pro on the ITF circuit. Can you tell us a little about the financial aspects of being on the tour?

Tennis is really an expensive sport, especially when we are talking about becoming a pro. You need to play lots of tournaments, say for roughly about 30 weeks in a calendar year. Add training expenses and at the end of the year you will be spending much more than you make.

What are the main sources of support that help you pursue the game?

Currently all the support has been coming from my parents. A few years back, I was sponsored by TNTA. They were the ones who introduced me to Schuttler Waske Tennis University, for which I am really thankful to TNTA.

Will you please tell us about your support team?

I train at Schuttler Waske Tennis University in Germany. I have learnt a lot over there. Life has changed for me after going to the university. I was not ranked before going to Germany. Even though I had the game, they helped me in planning tournaments. Sometimes, we also have coaches travelling with us for tournaments, which is really helpful.

Can you please discuss the role of your parents in your success and the pursuit of your dreams?

Without the support of my family members, it wouldn’t have been possible for me to play this sport. I have had lots of ups and downs. They were there with me in every situation, encouraging me. As you can understand, it is not easy for a middle class family in India to support their kid in the pursuit of his dreams in tennis.

You are ranked 349th now. What are your aspirations for the year?

My goal for this year is to move into the top 250, which is not easy for me as I’m defending a lot of points. It will be a challenging task, but I am up for it.

What is your dream as a tennis player?

Every player’s dream is to play for their country. I have been in the reserves, but still not in the playing 4. I’m also looking for my name inside the top 100 ATP rankings.

Please tell us about a few areas where you are putting in work to make improvements to your game?

After going to Germany, my game has transformed into that of an aggressive player. I cannot grind from the back to become the next Somdev. So I have worked on my net game, which has improved a lot. I am also working on my shot selection and am trying to build the forehand into a weapon.

Can you discuss your schedule for the next few months, through to September?

As of now, I have scheduled only for a next few weeks. I’ll be playing Chennai, Coimbatore and am then going back to Germany for a few challengers.

What is the best memory of your career?

I feel my best memory is yet to come. It will be when I play for my country.

Did you idolise someone as you were growing up? Who are your heroes in sport?

Since I started playing tennis, I used to like watching Lleyton Hewitt’s matches. I have also enjoyed watching Roger Federer.

We sincerely appreciate your time. Sportskeeda wishes you success through the rest of the year.