Somdev Devvarman: A case of unfulfilled expectations.

The lanky Indian from Tripura is without doubt one of the most talented singles player India has ever produced. But has he really fulfilled the expectations of Indian tennis fans?

While studying at University of Virginia, he took up tennis as a serious career. He created numerous records, like being the only player to reach three consecutive NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Tennis Championship finals, winning twice. Mind you, it is USA, where tennis is like cricket for them.

After entering into the professional circuit, he impressed one and all, rising up the ranks in a short span of time. He produced some of his best tennis at the Chennai Open, where he defeated former spaniard No 1 Carlos Moya in 2009, and reached the finals twice, in 2009 and 2011.

Moreover, he won the gold medal at the commonwealth games in singles and also won gold in both singles and doubles at the asian games at China

He became the highest ranked Indian player soon after, reaching the career best rank of 62 in 2011. There was a lot of expectations from him to make it into the top 50. He definitely had the caliber though, managing to defeat the likes of Bagdatis, Karlovic, Dogopolov etc.

But it never happened, till now atleast.

One of the major problems he had is inconsistency. Though he did manage to defeat higher ranked players, he sometimes fell to much lower ranked players, that too losing it after being in a winning position. His performance in the grand slams have been below par, falling out in 1st or 2nd round. Moreover, his injuries have been his major enemy, killing nearly one year of tennis at the age of 26, which is the prime age for any tennis player. From once being among the best in USA, it is really sad seeing him falling short in the international circuit.

After the injury layoff, he has managed to make a reasonable comeback. Currently ranked 125, he can definitely make it to top 100, considering that the upcoming tournaments are hard-court tournaments, his strength. Being aged 28, he is definitely in the other side of the career. But who knows? His best tennis might be coming soon