Prakash looks to get winning touch

Seeing him practise on the tennis courts takes one down memory lane. A lean and lanky figure, who used to rule the grass court in the 1970s and ‘80s, and swarthy visage...

Chandigarh, May 27

Seeing him practise on the tennis courts takes one down memory lane. A lean and lanky figure, who used to rule the grass court in the 1970s and ‘80s, and swarthy visage, reminds one of the great Indian tennis legend — Vijay Amritraj. And his son, Prakash, in city to compete in India F3 Futures ITF Men’s Circuit Tournament, spoke to The Indian Express about his level par performance on the pro circuit and the huge expectations.

• How does it feel to be a tennis player, like your father and uncles?

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It feels great. All my cousins and I have grown up seeing my father and uncles play for India. The best part of me being a tennis player is that it was never forced upon me to take it as a sport. It was my own choice and once I decided on it, my family gave me full support.

• Chandigarh has been a lucky destination for you. When you turned pro, the Chandigarh chapter of Indian Satellite Tour was one of the first tournaments you played. What do you expect this time from the City Beautiful?

Chandigarh was one of the three destinations where I played when I turned professional in 2003. The past years have seen the emergence of many good players from this region. As I am coming after an injury layoff, I am looking forward to this tournament.

• Seeing the draw, it seems that most players here are much younger than you and have better rankings. What are your views?

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As I told you, I am coming after an injury lay-off. This year, I have a ranking of 872. At the same time last year, my ranking was in the top 300. I expect to do well this season as I will be playing more on the European circuit.

• What is it that has been stopping you from performing well?

The biggest stumbling block is the recurring injuries. I need some time on the circuit for improving. I hope the coming years will yield some good results.

• You perhaps have the services of the best coach-trainer-motivator an Indian can ever have — your father. How far does he help on your fitness and game?

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My father used to train me in the earlier days of my career. Now I spend half my time in Chennai and half in Los Angles. So it is not possible for me to be with my father for a longer duration. Moreover, he is busy with his professional assignments. I will be going to Spain next month to train and expect to improve upon my fitness.

• It has been four years since you turned a pro and you have no major singles titles to show?

When I started playing professionally, I did really well. After playing in my first three tournaments in India, I defeated Marat Safin in the Mercedes Open. After that I have been down with frequent injuries and lay-offs. I know that there are ups and downs in a player’s career and I am working hard to improve.