"This is unexpected for my ranking and I am going to learn a lot during the Olympics.
“I am happy over being selected by the AITA as partner of Leander Paes in the doubles competition of the London Olympics,” said Indian tennis ace J. Vishnu Vardhan here on Thursday.
“This is unexpected for my ranking and I am going to learn a lot during the Olympics. I am physically fit and in good shape tennis-wise,” said the 25-year-old player, who won two ITF tourneys back-to-back at Bangalore and Mysore recently.
Vishnu Vardhan arrived in the city a few days ago to conduct a two-week special coaching camp for local boys at the GVMC tennis courts near III Town Police station. He came along with his parents — R. Jagadishan and Padmavathi — and it was a pleasant and happy news for the family.
Talented player
The talented player, who lives in Secunderabad and is employed in the ONGC as a HR executive, is waiting for the AITA or the selection committee to chalk out a training session before going to London.
Asked what helped him to be chosen as Paes’ partner, Vishnu Vardhan said he had a big serve, with a speed of 220 km to 230 km, on which his game depended a lot. He had not played with Paes in the doubles competition, but played a lot of practice matches during the run-up to the Davis Cup.
On the controversy surrounding the selections, he said it was a difficult situation when one of the top three players had to be dropped and also a tough time for the selection committee. But they were all professionals and, at the end of the day, playing for the country was important.
Vishnu Vardhan said he had not yet spoken to Leander Paes. Vishnu Vardhan started playing at a very young age and won the team bronze medal and mixed doubles silver medal with Sania Mirza at the Guangzhow Asian Games in 2010. He played a live singles match in the Davis Cup rubber against Japan in September last year.
Keywords: AITA, London Olympics, Vishnu Vardhan, Tennis
