A different College of thought

Had he been able to land for his first major India assignment though, the 21-year old wouldn’t have been thrust into hugely different environs. Dev Varman has been spending these last two seasons fighting for honours in the similar team event of collegiate tennis in the US — building a team and bonding on tour.

His brief stint on the Tour in India before he left for Charlottesville in 2004 was marked by the youngster’s ability to send his opponents scrambling rather disdainfully. Now, suitably titled ‘Cavalier’ at the University of Virginia , Dev Varman has established himself as one of the top collegiate players besides emerging as a leader at his campus’ Boyd Tinsley courts which attracts huge vocal support.

He won 39 singles matches in his debut year, one short of the school season record, and had earned the year’s Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman honours. A finalist at the NCAA singles final the following year, Dev Varman ended last season ranked eighth nationally.

A surprise Davis Cup call-up which couldn’t materialise since the visa couldn’t be processed sooner, means that ‘Buji’ as he is nicknamed in India, hasn’t quite returned to pro tennis. But heading to Chicago for the collegiate National Team Indoor Championships, Dev Varman wasn’t overtly disturbed by the missed opportunity.

Someone who’s committed four years to college, is willing to bide his time a little more.

Sunil Yajaman, former development officer AITA, recalls how Dev Varman — his ward at National Tennis Academy, Gurgaon — knew what he was getting into, and what he would lose in the bargain — precious years on the Tour. “Players drop out of college to turn Pro, but Somdev did the reverse. He went to college soon after winning his first Futures title. But he was very clear in his mind — there was no confusion that tennis would be his priority eventually,” Yajaman says.

“Considering he had a very good year as freshman, he’s doing well. Plus college tennis is pretty competitive there,” Yajaman adds, stressing, “Here he wasn’t getting the kind of training which he enjoys there. It’s a good training programme plus his college has promised to support him — in terms of funds— after he graduates to help when he starts traveling as a professional.”

Mahesh Bhupathi spent some successful years in NCAA before he jumped on the pro circuit, while others like Ajay Ramaswamy and Harsh Mankad had taken a similar route, though all will agree to the primary challenge. “If a player is on tour, and goes off midway to college and returns again, he’ll take some time to settle down,” Yajaman believes — though Dev Varman made the quarters of the $10,000 Grand Slam Futures of Tampa — a tourney he sneaked into as a qualifier recently.

A strongly-built player, the man who finds himself on the cusp of Davis Cup entry, will well turn out to be a revelation. “The best part about him — and it’s a speciality for an Indian — is his supreme fitness and ability to play very long matches,” Yajaman says of the baseliner with persistent ground-strokes and a liking for clay.

Dev Varman’s strong-hitting game has also thrived on the hard-surfaces of the US, and the young man is known to possess the grit to swing tight games his way. “He never gives up and can grind it out,” says early coach Ilyas Hussain, who trained Dev Varman at the Britannia academy as a budding player.

The former India junior No 1 in singles has also maintained a steady record in doubles alongside Treat Huey in Virginia — the duo are undefeated this season. He’d struck a fine rapport with Rastogi in their junior years. “I think he offers a good option for Leander, since he had forged a good partnership with Karan in doubles. And after Paes-Bhupathi retire, we were looking at these two to take over,” says Yajaman.

At 22, when he finally steps on the pro courts full-time, Dev Varman may well have missed out on a few crucial years, though his absence on the circuit may well add to his X-factor. Also, his are anyways the gate-crashing means, he knows how to arrive at a party late, and not leave unnoticed.