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His racquet does the talking
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Sri Suresh Krishna has proved himself on every stage which he has performed on
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Photo: V. Ganesan
Promising player Suresh Krishna
Sri Suresh Krishna doesn’t spare a single Sunday in his search for sponsors. Invariably, the response is the same. “We’ll see,” they say as if he is fated to wait forever. His father, a Railway Protection Force constable, isn’t able to meet many of his son’s needs. It is just this single handicap that prevents Suresh’s climb to big-time tennis.
The gutsy 19-year-old longs to break into the professional circuit this year and get some vital ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) points. Until now, he has proved himself on every platform, nay stage, which he has performed on. One such virtuoso display came last September at the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) Tennis Complex. Pitted against top seed Vikram Reddy, Suresh had his biggest ally in the calm temperament that he displayed right through that showdown for the singles crown. His strong attitude became evident in the steady assault he unleashed through his serves, regardless of whether he was leading or trailing.
Keeping his cool on the crucial points is another sterling quality he possesses. Fine court positioning ensures he’s at the right place at the right time, good anticipation in knowing what to expect next and above all the courage to rise to the challenge are some invaluable tennis traits that have held him in good stead. Except for a team gold in the school Nationals in 2003, Suresh strived but couldn’t get past the semi-finals in most events that year. In 2004, a doubles triumph in the All India Tennis Association (AITA) Sunlife championship saw his stock register a rise. The following year was even better as Suresh claimed the inter state championship under 18 gold, a feat he repeated in the Adidas-AITA championships.
In the 2005 inter state men’s championship at Gurgaon, he struck silver. The high-point of his career was his victory in the Wilson-Triangular Tennis Trust World junior tennis championship in Chennai in 2006. Perhaps in recognition of this achievement, he was made captain of the Indian team for the World University Games in Bangkok, 2007. Coached by C.V. Nagaraj at the Railway Recreation Club (RRC) courts, this soft-spoken second year student of Wesley Degree College believes in letting his racquet do the talking. In a marketing world, he may not have the required skills to promote himself with the ease that lesser players can. But should tennis be the sole criterion, Suresh should make more than a splash in the sport’s highly competitive realm.
A. JOSEPH ANTONY
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