Vishnu Vardhan: The next big thing in Indian tennis?

Possessing the asset of a great first serve that reminds one of the Australian who famously went on a dream run in the Wimbledon 2003, Mark Philippoussis, Vishnuvardhan is one of India’s brightest talents on the tennis circuit, one that has caught the eye as the representative of the next generation of tennis players from the country. Having been active on the tennis circuit since 2003, Vishnuvardhan was part of the Indian Davis Cup team that defeated Phillipines and Uzbekistan en route to the World Group qualification. Having also seen glory in various inter university tournaments as team captain, his other big achievement came when he partnered Sania Mirza at the Asian Games 2010 in Guangzhou, China and won silver in the mixed doubles event, thus prompting suggestions that he is the next big thing in Indian tennis.

Now currently almost 25 years old, Vishnuvardhan is at the prime age for any professional tennis player. His talent is one that should be groomed properly by getting the best advice possible from the likes of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, the iconic veterans he aims to succeed, for he could truly go on to trouble the best in the ATP circuit. He is currently ranked 453rd in the ATP rankings, but with the ability that he possesses, he should rise rapidly up the ladder and break into the top 100.

I remember seeing him play for the first time in Tokyo against Japanese Kei Nishikori, who was ranked 55 in the world then, and he gave his opponent a very tough fight. Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna, impressed by what they saw, tweeted about the youngster, praising him. In his match against Kei Nishikori, I remember he displayed a very good presence of mind on the court to give his opponent a tough outing.

While he shows promise and has great talent, what we need to know about him is that hard surfaces suit him best and he will thus not be very successful on clay. On grass and hard surfaces however, one can expect him to give his higher ranked opponents a decent fight and challenge them head on. His biggest disadvantage is his lack of foreign exposure. If funded well by sponsors, he can gain valuable experience on foreign soil and learn from the best in the business. Traditionally, Indians have excelled in doubles tennis and there are currently 3 Indians who are in the top 20 of the doubles rankings, while there is not one singles player in the top 20 of the singles division. The dream of a singles player from India winning a Grand Slam has so far remained just a dream, and the torch is now carried by Somdev Devvarman, along with Vishnuvardhan. Here’s wishing the promising talent good luck for the future and hoping he makes India proud!

Edited by Zico