Dhakshineswar Suresh — making rapid strides

Following India’s rousing 3-2 victory over the Netherlands in the Davis Cup Qualifiers first round in Bengaluru on Sunday, there was a light-hearted, friendly, kerfuffle about Dhakshineswar Suresh’s height.

The ATP website said — and still says — it was 6’5” while the 25-year-old insisted it was 6’6”.

For the media personnel caught in between, it was a choice between an authoritative source and a champion’s words. What was indisputable, however, was the fact that Dhakshineswar had grown, may be not in the eyes of the ATP data manager but certainly in front of the Indian sporting audience.

He won all three of his rubbers, boasts of a proud 4-0 Davis Cup record in just two ties and is the toast of the nation.

“It’s a different feeling when you’re playing for your country,” he said, after the win. “You’re not just playing for yourself. I played some different tennis in these matches, and I’m really proud of that.”

There is both familiarity and novelty to Dhakshineswar. He owns a style that is very much in vogue in modern-day tennis — big serve followed by a crushing forehand. Not for nothing does 2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios — alongside whom Dhakshineswar competed in the World Tennis League exhibition last year — call him “my bro”. But it is a style not very common in India. In recent times, Rohan Bopanna had it, Ramkumar Ramanathan to a much-lesser degree, and not many others.

Dhakshineswar was also a largely unknown name in the country other than in the tennis-following circles.

The Dindigul-born lad was a promising junior, but his career was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. And his ongoing education at the Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, United States, has meant that he is not a regular on the Tour and is only ranked 470.

After a wildcard appearance at the 2018 Chennai Challenger, he has featured in just 12 matches at that level, and has a solitary appearance at a Tour event. Only after he graduates this summer is he likely to play a full schedule.

“He has the game to be in the top 100, no doubt, but he has to stay healthy and get stronger physically,” Zeeshan Ali, former India Davis Cup coach, told The Hindu.

“Bangalore’s altitude helped him, but when you play at sea level and on slower courts, you need to generate your own pace. That’s the next step.”

Knowing Dhakshineswar, he is not the kind to miss out on an opportunity to grow.