On comeback trail, Somdev searches for elusive win

Somdev Devvarman always knew that his return to the courts after undergoing a shoulder surgery would be tough. However, weeks after his London Olympics comeback where he lost in the first round, he experienced a reality check. Devvarman lost to Tom Burn , ranked in the 800s on the Futures Circuit.

His loss to Finland's Jarko Nieminen in the Olympics was not a shock because it was Devvarman's comeback and Nieminen was ranked much higher. But the the loss to the lower-ranked Burns was upsetting for Devvarman.

Ever since he underwent surgery in January and started practicing in April, Devvarman's comeback has been a mixed bag. He has lost all his five matches since returning — three of them to players ranked in the top-100. The biggest challenge for Devvarman in his comeback is the punishing style of play, one in which he retrieves ball after ball. Lacking a big serve or a big shot, Somdev has fallen back on his defensive game. However, Devvarman is keen to continue with what has worked for him.

"What made me a good player in the past is the same thing that will make me a better one now. Where I am in my career, it will take longer if I try to change or reinvent something because of a surgery. Hewitt, Nishikori, Haas have all come out of surgeries and found a way to make their styles work for them. I will have to find a way too," Devvarman said.

With his physio Milos Galecic working overtime on him, he has become match fit but he says it is not the same as 'match sharp'. "The trouble is you never really know when an old injury can return. So you never know when to push yourself or how much. After making my comeback, I was hitting well before the US Open. But during the first round I felt a twitch in my shoulder and it forced me to withdraw from three tournaments after that," he added.

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