Yuki Bhambri is a happy man having reached his career-best ATP ranking of 83 on Monday.
The 25-year-old Yuki had done all the hard work through two Masters tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami in the USA.
But, niggling injuries compelled him to take time off and skip the Davis Cup tie against China.
Yuki surprised everyone by jumping back into the professional circuit, two days after the Davis Cup tie, and playing strongly to win the $150,000 Challenger.
On the decision to skip the Davis Cup, he said: “Seeing how well Ram and Prajnesh played, it was a fantastic decision.”
“It is always tough to miss the Davis Cup and I hope to be back for the World Group playoffs,” said Yuki, who watched the tie on TV.
“It was a phenomenal tie. We have a lot of depth and are very dominant at the Asian level. For some reason, of late, we have struggled in doubles. But that win by Bopanna and Leander, got the ball rolling,” said Yuki.
Looking at his situation, Yuki said that he took a chance to play the Challenger in Taipei as it was part of the original plan. He will take time off now and return by the first week of May to get ready for the Grand Slams, starting with the French Open.
“I took a chance to see if I could get into the main draw of the French Open,” said Yuki, quite pleased that his instincts guided him well. “It has definitely been a great few months. Very consistent and I am happy about that.
“I have always tried to balance my schedule, but it also depends on the results. Fortunately, I have had a few good weeks.
“So, I can pick and choose tournaments. Having said that, I try to set a target of 25 tournaments for the year,” said Yuki, elaborating on his vision.
Even though his gamble paid off, with the impressive jump in rankings, Yuki was categorical that he would not push his luck too much on the demanding clay.
