Longevity in sports, from a fan’s perspective, endears and enriches. How else could the relevance of a sporting carnival be explained? As subjective an experience that enrichment is, endearment is based on what a spectator seeks and what a sport actively contrives to generate — pleasure.
It is with this familiar sense of nostalgia and celebration that the city warms up to its flagship tennis event — the ATP Aircel Chennai Open. The 20th edition of the event will see Leander Paes, Rajeev Ram, Benoit Paire and Borna Coric leading from the front.
On court
The 20 years bring with it a treasure trove of delightful memories. The frenzied anticipation trickling down to murmurs of disappointment after the legendary Boris Becker’s unexpected early exit in 1998; The dynamic duo of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi doing what they do best to claim their fourth doubles title in Chennai in 2002; Carlos Moya, on the grind, putting it across Paradorn Srichaphan in a two hour and 35 minute final in 2005; Belgian Xavier Malisse becoming the first to win both the singles and doubles titles in 2007; The sinewy Rafael Nadal prevailing over a gritty Moya in an exhaustive four-hour semifinal in 2008; India’s very own Somdev Devvarman’s stellar run to the final in 2009; Chennai bidding adieu to its most beloved Carlos Moya in 2010; Memories, memories! Pleasantly warm and charming memories!
As the city’s bonding with tennis has grown, cultivated and sustained by these memories, so has the flair of the Indian talent pool. Well-served are the likes of Ramkumar Ramanathan, Rohan Bopanna and Somdev Devvarman. In fact, Ramkumar’s claim to fame was his first round win against Somdev Devvarman in 2014.
Unfortunately, this year’s Indian direct entrant in the main draw, World No. 93 Yuki Bhambri had to pull out of the competition, unable to recover from an injury in time. Thankfully though, Ramkumar’s wild card entry has renewed Indian hopes. In the doubles category, Leander Paes will team up with Marcel Granollers of Spain.
Leading the star attraction is the defending champion, two-time Grand Slam winner and World No. 4 Stanislas Wawrinka and the big-hitting South African, World No. 12 Kevin Anderson. Also in the impressive line-up are Benoit Paire, Roberto Batista Agut and Vasek Pospisil, to name a few.
The timing of the event is remarkable for there is a sense of appreciation prevalent in the city in acknowledgement of its own colossal efforts to resurface from the deluge of torrential rains. To be able to host an event of this magnitude, while straight out of a crisis, is more reason to celebrate.
Stanislas Wawrinka
In 2013, he created history by playing the longest doubles match at the Davis Cup tie against the Czech Republic, partnering with Marco Chiudinelli.
Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player and has won two Grand Slam singles titles in his career — the 2014 Australian Open and the 2015 French Open. In 2014, he reached a world ranking of No. 3, and held it for several months. Among his more recent victories is his win at the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Masters 1000 tournament at the Monte Carlo Masters in 2014. He was part of the Swiss team that won the Davis Cup in 2014.
Kevin Anderson
He is the first South African to be ranked in the top 10 since Wayne Ferreira was No. 10 in 1997. A South African player, he became the top-ranked male South African player in 2008 after making the final at the 2008 Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas, U.S. He achieved his career-high ranking of World No. 10 in 2015. In 2011, he defeated Somdev Devvarman in Johannesburg to capture the South African Open title for his first ATP-level event title.
Anderson has represented South Africa in both Davis Cup play and in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Benoît Paire
A French professional tennis player, his best result in a Grand Slam came at the US Open in 2015, where he reached the fourth round. He has won one singles title at the 2015 Swedish Open defeating Tommy Robredo. His career-high singles ranking is World No. 19, first achieved in November 2015.
Roberto Bautista Agut
In October 2014, he achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 14. He is the first Spaniard, younger than Rafael Nadal, to get inside of the Top 30. He has won two ATP singles titles at the 2014 Topshelf Open and the 2014 Mercedes Cup. Bautista reached the fourth round of the 2014 Australian Open, 2014 US Open, 2015 US Open and the 2015 Wimbledon Championships and the semifinals of the 2014 Madrid Masters.
Vasek Pospisil
He is the No. 2 male ranked player in Canada, after Milos Raonic. Pospisil has a career-high World singles ranking of 25, and No. 4 in doubles. As Canada’s currently ranked No. 2 in singles and in doubles, he is an important member of the Canada Davis Cup team. Along with partner Jack Sock, he won the 2014 Wimbledon and the 2015 Indian Wells Masters men’s doubles titles. He also reached the quarterfinals in singles at the 2015 Wimbledon Championships.
On for tennis!
The Chennai Open is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour. It is held annually in January at the SDAT Tennis Stadium in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
