Interview: "I had to step it up" - Ajay Jayaram

Hyderabad Hotshots’ Ajay Jayaram put up a brave fight against World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei of Mumbai Masters on Saturday. (Getty Images)

After a poor start, Ajay Jayaram has sparkled in his last two matches. His victory over World Championships bronze medallist Nguyen Tien Minh was followed by a combative performance against No.1 Lee Chong Wei. In an interview with Dev Sukumar, the Bangalore-based shuttler says things are now, slowly but surely, falling into place:

That was a pretty good performance against Lee Chong Wei…

I’ve always enjoyed playing him. This was the fifth or sixth time… I’ve always given him a tough fight. I attacked from the beginning. The shuttle was fast, and because of that you had to be quick at the net and get the lift.

I did that pretty well. I had my chance in the first set, at 19-17 I smashed into the net, but I came back in the second. In the third, I gave it all that I had, but he started anticipating some of my net shots, he was faster there.

Your net game has been sharp in the last two matches.

I was getting pretty quick at the net. After my first match when I lost to Srikanth, I thought I had to step it up. I went pumped up for both these matches, and was getting a good touch, playing well at the net and hitting well from behind. I think that’s the sort of game I look forward to playing for the rest of the matches.

What eventually made the difference against Lee Chong Wei… was it his pace?

I did feel he went on an all-out attack in the third; that was the difference. Pace-wise I didn’t feel left behind. I was pretty much there. I think a bad serve at 4-6 was suicidal; you can’t do that against a player of his calibre.

Do you feel close now to players of that level?

Yes. I have played well… in the last few tournaments I have beaten top-ten players.

But in the Superseries, you haven’t been able to string big wins together. What explains the inconsistency? Is it physical tiredness?

That’s true. I have been faltering in that respect, that consistency hasn’t come. I don’t think it’s physical, it’s more mental. I’ve started working on that aspect as well. I can see a few positive changes.

How was it playing in front of your home crowd in Mumbai?

The entire IBL has been a different experience. There’s a lot of crowd coming and cheering… we never experienced this sort of excitement. I’m enjoying it… in Mumbai, even though I was playing for Hyderabad (Hotshots), I was getting a lot of support. My parents were there in Mumbai and Pune; it was good to play in front of them.

Although you have played so long for India, you hardly got this sort of attention.

Never. It’s been a completely different thing. It’s been very hectic as well. Because every two days we’ve been travelling and that’s something we’re not used to. In the Superseries, we stay the whole week and then travel somewhere else. Travelling as a team has been enjoyable as well.

How is to have Taufik Hidayat in the chair?

It’s a motivation. He has been giving valuable tips. He’s an icon, and he’s been my childhood idol as well, so it’s nice having him in the chair.

Has he made any fundamental difference to your game, apart from the tips?

I can’t really say that. I haven’t been able to train with him, and he’s not at his best right now. But still, it’s good.

The team has players from various nationalities. What’s that like?

It’s very interesting… because generally, even in a team match you support your country-mates. And here you’re supporting a foreigner against an Indian. It’s all coming together nicely and kudos to the team for pulling this off.

Winning in this format, will it translate into winning in the longer format?

Definitely. Against Tien Minh, winning in straight games translates into the (conventional) format as well. The third game is a bit of a lottery, but still it could prove useful, you get used to a quick start even in a normal format.

What’s the mental approach for this format? Is it about going all-out in the first game and then taking it from there?

The last two matches, I pushed myself from the beginning. The first two games aren’t that different (from the conventional format). It’s maybe a bit easier physically with the two breaks. In the third game, that’s where you need to take those 3-4 points in the beginning.

The friendships you make here, are they for life?

I think so. I mean, we’ve always been on a ‘hi-hello’ basis before this, but now you have these foreigners for your teammates, you joke around and laugh around, it’s definitely a deeper bond.