PETE SAMPRAS’ MATCHES ARE MY EARLIEST MEMORIES OF WIMBLEDON: VISHNU VARDHAN WIMBLEDON IS THE BEST ONE TO MAKE MY GRAND SLAM DEBUT: N SRIRAM BALAJI
Tennis players Vishnu Vardhan and N Sriram Balaji talk about prepping for their maiden Grand Slam appearance at Wimbledon and their close friendship
Playing a Grand Slam is every tennis player’s dream. Now, Indian doubles players N Sriram Balaji from Coimbatore, and Vishnu Vardhan from Secunderabad, are living that dream. With only a few days left for them to play their first match in the main draw, the duo talks about their excitement, preparations and their friendship off the court.
THE GRAND SLAM DEBUT
Vishnu: Like any other tennis player, it has always been a dream to play a Grand Slam. I knew that one day, I would get to play in a Grand Slam, and now, it has become a reality. But it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my family, coaches, trainers, friends and others. So, it’s a combined effort. I grew up watching the matches of Pete Sampras. His wins at Wimbledon have always been very inspiring. Those are the earliest memories of Wimbledon for me.
Balaji: I consider Wimbledon as the best one to make my Grand Slam debut. I rate it over the other Grand Slams because of the history attached to it. It’s a privilege to play in all-whites, and compete in best-offive sets. Wimbledon still follows a lot of the old traditions and that sets it apart from the rest. Though I started playing tennis at the age of 10, I wouldn’t watch matches on TV much. But Lleyton Hewitt winning the Wimbledon title in 2002 is still etched in my mind.
PREPARATIONS FOR WIMBLEDON
Vishnu: We are not going to do anything different in terms of preparations for the first match in the main draw of Wimbledon. We have progressed really good; we’ve had some good matches on grass.
We will continue to do what we’ve been doing and that has given us success. But at the same time, there are a few things that we will have to keep improving on. And that’s not just Wimbledon-specific, but things that we need to improve in the long run. So, we only have long-term goals. Our game styles are quite similar. We both like to serve and volley, and hit the ball big. That’s our natural style of playing.
FRIENDS OFF THE COURT, TOO
Vishnu: What’s really working well for the both of us is that we are really good friends off the court as well. In terms of relaxation, we again have similar interests. We spend a lot of time watching Tamil comedies online and sometimes, we even catch up for a movie. That’s about it.
Balaji: Our families also know each other quite well. We both are from middle-class families and therefore, we’re quite similar in a lot of ways outside the court, too. Currently, we’re staying with a family friend in London. So, when we’re a bit free, we sneak out together to eat.
DRAWING INSPIRATION FROM LEANDER, MAHESH & BOPANNA
Vishnu: We draw a lot of inspiration from players like Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna. They keep competing in Grand Slams and the Master Series. For our Wimbledon qualifiers, Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan came to watch our matches and encourage us. Now, since we’ve some time before the first match in the main draw, I’ve actually fixed a practice session with Bopanna.
Tennis players Vishnu Vardhan and N Sriram Balaji talk about prepping for their maiden Grand Slam appearance at Wimbledon and their close friendship
Playing a Grand Slam is every tennis player’s dream. Now, Indian doubles players N Sriram Balaji from Coimbatore, and Vishnu Vardhan from Secunderabad, are living that dream. With only a few days left for them to play their first match in the main draw, the duo talks about their excitement, preparations and their friendship off the court.
THE GRAND SLAM DEBUT
Vishnu: Like any other tennis player, it has always been a dream to play a Grand Slam. I knew that one day, I would get to play in a Grand Slam, and now, it has become a reality. But it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my family, coaches, trainers, friends and others. So, it’s a combined effort. I grew up watching the matches of Pete Sampras. His wins at Wimbledon have always been very inspiring. Those are the earliest memories of Wimbledon for me.
Balaji: I consider Wimbledon as the best one to make my Grand Slam debut. I rate it over the other Grand Slams because of the history attached to it. It’s a privilege to play in all-whites, and compete in best-offive sets. Wimbledon still follows a lot of the old traditions and that sets it apart from the rest. Though I started playing tennis at the age of 10, I wouldn’t watch matches on TV much. But Lleyton Hewitt winning the Wimbledon title in 2002 is still etched in my mind.
PREPARATIONS FOR WIMBLEDON
Vishnu: We are not going to do anything different in terms of preparations for the first match in the main draw of Wimbledon. We have progressed really good; we’ve had some good matches on grass.
We will continue to do what we’ve been doing and that has given us success. But at the same time, there are a few things that we will have to keep improving on. And that’s not just Wimbledon-specific, but things that we need to improve in the long run. So, we only have long-term goals. Our game styles are quite similar. We both like to serve and volley, and hit the ball big. That’s our natural style of playing.
FRIENDS OFF THE COURT, TOO
Vishnu: What’s really working well for the both of us is that we are really good friends off the court as well. In terms of relaxation, we again have similar interests. We spend a lot of time watching Tamil comedies online and sometimes, we even catch up for a movie. That’s about it.
Balaji: Our families also know each other quite well. We both are from middle-class families and therefore, we’re quite similar in a lot of ways outside the court, too. Currently, we’re staying with a family friend in London. So, when we’re a bit free, we sneak out together to eat.
DRAWING INSPIRATION FROM LEANDER, MAHESH & BOPANNA
Vishnu: We draw a lot of inspiration from players like Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna. They keep competing in Grand Slams and the Master Series. For our Wimbledon qualifiers, Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan came to watch our matches and encourage us. Now, since we’ve some time before the first match in the main draw, I’ve actually fixed a practice session with Bopanna.
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