Indian Davis Cupper Mukund Sasikumar lost in the opening round of the ATP Challenger Chennai Open to Alexey Zakharov (RUS, 333) by a score line of 3-6 7-6 1-6. It was a heartbreaking loss for Mukund as well as the Indian Tennis community.
Post the match, Mukund took time out to speak to Indian Tennis Daily to share his thoughts.
Cover photo by Ranzi Sports
Harini Raman: Mukund, thanks for joining us. Thoughts on your round one loss against Alexey Zakharov? You played brilliantly to win the second set in a tiebreaker, but it was a heartbreaking loss in the end.
Mukund Sasikumar: Definitely heartbreaking. I felt a little difficult to adjust to the conditions coming straight from the Davis Cup. I didn’t have too much court time, which isn’t an excuse, but maybe if I’d had one or two more practice days, I would have done better. Nevertheless, I got a little carried away in the third set when I saw he was struggling physically. I didn’t keep up my intensity and I started thinking too much, and that got to me. But I think other than that, there was definitely some good tennis happening. It’s not easy to take a loss at home. I was definitely expecting to do better, and also to see no Indians in the second round… I mean, it’s an Indian tournament, and there’s nobody playing on Friday, so that’s definitely quite painful to see.
Harini Raman: It was a brilliant fight in the second set, though. And you had your maiden Davis Cup win in Delhi. What are your feelings on that?
Mukund Sasikumar: I think I handled it pretty well, given the circumstances. It was definitely a good training week; I think I had a lot of practice, so that was good. And Davis Cup… you know, it doesn’t matter who you play. I think the magnitude automatically doubles and triples because of the aura it has carried over the years. Nobody knows why it has that special presence, but… yeah, I’m still waiting to beat a much better player. That’s truly when I’ll feel proud of myself – when I play someone really much better than me, and then I take him out in a live rubber and win the tie for India. That would be a dream come true. But I think on the way to that, this is also a stepping stone, of course.
Harini Raman: How was your off-season prep? Any specific areas you focused on?
Mukund Sasikumar: It was great. I was happy to be back in Europe and put in a lot of work on the court. It had its ups and downs, but I think I made quite a few steps forward. That’s what I felt. And yeah, I think I also got physically much better this time.
Harini Raman: Before the pandemic, you were a regular at the Challenger level, and now you’re back to that level consistently. How do you feel about the level of tennis now? Do you feel the standards have risen?
Mukund Sasikumar: Yeah, yeah. I mean, I think they’re much better, by leaps and bounds. The standard of tennis has definitely gotten much higher after the pandemic. I think everybody had so much time to practice. The whole ecosystem of tennis changed in that one year because everybody worked on things they had to. Maybe not at the top 10 level, but I think the depth below got so much higher. I remember when I used to play Challengers, making a quarter or semi wasn’t a big deal at all. But I think right now, if a player is making quarters or semis, he can beat anybody in the world, or at least compete against them.
RAPID FIRE
| Hobbies | Right now, I’m trying to learn a lot about the planets. |
| Favorite travel destination | Probably Hyderabad. When I get time to see friends… I don’t get to see them often, so if I get time, I’d go there. |
| A place you haven’t been to but would love to visit | North East India |
| Favorite cuisine | Probably Hyderabadi, Indo-Chinese – the Indian version of Chinese. I love food in general, so I’ll eat anything. Favorite is probably Hyderabadi Haleem and Biryani. |
| Your best win so far, and why? | I think maybe Uchiyama last year because I wasn’t in a good place mentally, and I still got through. And he came from beating Holger Rune and almost beat Cilic. That was a week before when he beat them, and I think I played a good match. |
| Toughest opponent you’ve faced so far | I think myself, most of the time. |
| Song that’s on repeat mode right now | I think maybe that guitar band, 40 Fingers. They play the Pirates of the Caribbean theme music. I was introduced to that by Dr. Debashish Das at Davis Cup. |
| Favorite player | It used to be Prajnesh when he used to play, Yuki when he used to play singles. Both of them aren’t playing anymore. And of course, my all-time favorite is Roger. And also Sinner, I think. |
| If you weren’t a tennis player, what would you be | I think I’d be someone who had no idea what to do in life, to be honest. I don’t know. I think tennis did good for me by putting me on track. Otherwise, I don’t think I would have done well in anything else. I don’t really know an answer to that question because I just know tennis. |
| Any funny incidents that happened on court | I can’t think of one right now. I think when Saket and I were playing doubles, and he was telling me, “Let’s try and win this set because the buffet is closing in the hotel.” That was pretty hilarious. |
| What’s the most unusual place you’ve played tennis in | During the lockdown, on my terrace. I was trying to hit a few balls. That was pretty unusual. Never thought I’d end up there. |