The last time Somdev Devvarman made a brief stopover in the Capital, it was just after he had become India’s No 1 singles player in his first five months on the professional circuit. The expectations around him were soaring skywards, and his run to the Chennai Open final in a few weeks only cemented them.

Six months and a string of first-round losses later, the 24-year-old’s form is temporarily misplaced, but Devvarman appears to be satisfied with what he has found in the middle of this rough patch — perspective.

“Every player has ups and downs, and this happens to be one of them. But I’ve been working really hard. I’ve had set points, match points in all those losses, and I’ve lost so many tie-breaks. But now I know the importance of taking a break,” he said on Thursday. “I’ve been with my family in Agartala the past few days, and it’s helped me put things in perspective. When I was doing well earlier, it was such a high. But it’s never as good as it seems, and so neither is it as bad as it seems.”

Face-off with a friend

His Wimbledon debut did come along this year despite the forgettable singles results, though it happened to be in the doubles draw, a fact which came as a surprise to the Indian himself. Devvarman’s doubles partner on this occasion happened to be an old friend, and the main man to be beaten when India take on South Africa in the Davis Cup World Group play-off in September this year — Kevin Anderson.

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