Dhakshineswar Suresh sat calmly in a corner of the cafeteria as he watched a tennis match on the courts of the Maharashtra Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) complex in Mumbai. But that’s a few hours after he brought the storm to the court.
Dhakshineswar unleashed his booming serve, powerful forehand and showcased his volleying ability. And it has been a long time coming. College tennis was not in the plan when he started out in tennis.
The big game style from the man who stands at 6-foot-5 has started to make him more and more known among Indian tennis fans.
But a serious back injury in 2020 got him to a point where “doctors said might not be able to play tennis again,” Dhakshineswar recalled.
But once he recovered, his mentor Somdev Devvarman, the former India No.1 and world No.62, encouraged him to rebuild his game through the US college circuit. They pretty much pamper you and you just have to step on court and play,” said the world No.421. The injury and college tennis delayed his entry into the pro circuit. “Being a professional tennis player was my dream. “I’m happy with how I did in college and that chapter is done. “In college, it’s a team sport and everything is taken care of for you. “But when you’re on tour, you realise how lonely the sport is. You have to plan all your tournaments, flights, hotels… everything on your own. It’s tough out there, but you just got to keep grinding. There is clarity on what his strengths are – the big game. But it is a high-risk, high-reward style that can also lead to a high unforced error count.
It was the perfect timing, getting it done in the Davis Cup and then graduating and getting ready to go out on the pro tour,” Dhakshineswar told HT. “It was easy to quit, but given how hard I worked to get to where I was, the effort, sacrifices and money my parents had put in… I was determined to give it another push to see if I can do it,” he said.
But along the way, in two Davis Cup ties for India in Switzerland last year and against a stronger Dutch team in Bengaluru in February, the explosive right-hander unleashed his weapons at a time when the Indian team was desperate for positive results in singles.
