Dhakshineswar Suresh inspires Indian tennis to dream again | Tennis News

India’s Dhakshineswar Suresh (PTI Photo)

BENGALURU: Late on Sunday, he helped give Indian tennis something to dream about, but the last eight months themselves have been something out of a dream for Dhakshineswar Suresh.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!A final year Communications student at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, the 25-year-old, currently ranked 470 on the Tour, defeated seven players in the top-170 during the period. The biggest of those wins came over the weekend after he outplayed the Netherlands’ Jesper De Jong, a World No. 88, in the Davis Cup Qualifiers Round 1. Dominant service games and powerful groundstrokes caught everybody’s attention. There was more to come.As Sunday slipped into the next day, Suresh became the toast of the nation when he powered India into the second round of qualifiers with a famous win over Guy den Ouden in the decider. It was his booming serve that did the trick as he went on hammer 15 aces in the decisive fifth rubber, and ensured that India will now meet South Korea away in the second round of Davis Cup qualifiers in September.

Sending down thunderbolts has become Suresh’s trademark, the result of years of consistent practice. He oils his smooth service motion daily, sending down around 50-100 serves in training.It helps that he stands 6 ft 6 inches in his socks. His height plays a big role, as the Madurai man enjoys a higher contact point to meet the ball at full extension. This creates a steeper angle, which adds greater pace as it leaves the racquet. “I put my height to use and I work on my strengths. I try to get a basket of serves daily in training. It is always about the consistency,” said Suresh, who had enjoyed one of his best serving days last month against Croatia’s Duje Ajdukovic with 20 aces in the first round of the Bengaluru Open ATP 125 Challenger.“When I get into crucial moments, I tell myself that I did this a million times in training, so it is just another ball that I am going to hit. The serve is about practice, day in and out. That is how I trust myself on the serve,” he explained.Although the speed gun was unavailable in his last three tournaments he has competed in Bengaluru — World Tennis League, Bengaluru Open and Davis Cup — it was easy to see the ball fly off his racquet. His flat, powerful serve pushed opponents on the backfoot, which created an opening for him to close points.And even when his first serve deserts him, Suresh possesses a potent second kick serve that jumps sharply off the court. It is little wonder then that he recorded 33 aces and just six double faults across three singles matches in the Davis Cup. He had defeated Jerome Kym, ranked 155 then, of Switzerland, in his Davis Cup debut in Biel last year.India’s non-playing captain Rohit Rajpal shed more light on what he called a “gifted serve”. “Suresh has got a beautiful whip on his serve, which is difficult to achieve unless you have a loose stance and swing. He has a beautiful service motion, and that is why he gets great speed too. He has a very gifted serve. Not every tall player can serve well,” he said.Besides his serve, Suresh is also comfortable at the net, a skill sharpened through doubles play in college tennis. It was evident when Suresh paired with Yuki Bhambri in the doubles against the Dutch.A big test awaits Suresh on the Tour once he completes his degree in May. “I’ll finish my studies in the US, then come down in May and figure out my schedule. Once sorted, I’ll start getting into the Tour and prepare for the next Davis Cup,” he said.