Now, Divij eyes Grand Slams
Divij Sharan
Year 2012 turned out to be an exceptional one for Divij Sharan. He broke into the top 100 in the world tennis doubles rankings, made a winning debut in the Davis Cup tie against New Zealand and entered the finals of six Challengers tournaments.
Divij has now set his sights on the Grand Slams.
“It’s definitely been a great year for me, especially the last few months. My next target is to make it to the top 70, which will help me to get into the Grand Slams and the ATP Tour events,” Divij told this newspaper.
The Delhi lad, who got a last-minute call up for the recent Davis Cup tie in Chandigarh, called it a dream come true. He combined with Vishnu Vardhan to win the Davis Cup doubles rubber in a five-set thriller to give India a 3-0 cushion against the Kiwis.
“It’s been a great experience being part of a young Davis Cup team. All of us were there to support each other, and we were all motivated to do well. It was my first Davis Cup match and I could not have asked for a better debut.
“I had put pressure on myself. I am happy I was given the opportunity and I was able to deliver,” the 26-year-old said.
Divij, who is India’s best ranked doubles player after Leander Paes, Rohan Bopanna and Mahesh Bhupathi, now wants to focus only on doubles events.
Asked about his favourite partner, he said, “I’ve been doing well on the tour with both Vishnu and Yuki Bhambri. So I will have to go with both of them.”
In the past, he has clinched a Challenger title each with both Yuki and Vishnu.
Fitness remains an integral part of a sportsperson’s success and Divij is no different.
“I try my best to be regular with my fitness routine even on tours. It certainly helps as there are times when I have to play a lot of tournaments at a stretch,” he said.
In the coming months, Divij will play Challengers tournaments in Uzbekistan, Korea, Europe and Japan.
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