In a year filled with a whirlwind pace of achievements, Yuki Bhambri spent the week gone by taking a break from the tennis courts. After sweeping aside the competition in two ITF tournaments either side of a winning Davis Cup debut last month, the 17-year-old withdrew his name from a $10,000 tournament in Pune, giving the sore muscles a much-needed rest. Movies and cricket matches, then, took the place of practice sessions for a while, but now the Delhi player is back to his training schedule.

“It was getting very hectic. In the Kolkata tournament, I had to play more than one match a day, and it took a toll on my body. I had a slight back strain, but I am better now. I’ve been catching up with friends and family, and I went to watch the Delhi Daredevils vs Victoria Bushrangers match in the Champions League too,” says Yuki, speaking to Sportline. His golf interest, though, will have to wait a while to be indulged again. “I’m not allowed to play golf, because that will strain the back. I have been resting for a few days but have started training again from today.”

Yuki broke into the top-350 of the ATP rankings on Monday according to the latest numbers, but the perfect end credits to a spectacular year will come in about two weeks, when he shares court space with Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras in Macau. “It’ll be a great experience to play with them, they are still so good. There’s so much that can be learnt from legends like them,” he says, looking ahead to the exhibition event later this month.

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