After enduring hard quarantine for two weeks in Singapore, when he was negative for coronavirus all the time, Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan is back on the professional Tour, competing in the Orlando Challenger in the US.
Road back
“I am excited at playing on the Tour with Sriram Balaji again. It will take time to get back to my level before the lockdown. I don’t expect the road back to the top 100 to be easy, but that is my goal. It is a matter of staying fit, planning the right schedule and keeping morale high,” said Jeevan, from Orlando.
Despite the distress — he could not “even step out for fresh air” — during the hard quarantine, when a fellow passenger in the flight had tested positive, Jeevan has taken the entire episode in his stride. “I did my strength work. Could not do much otherwise. After quarantine, while trying to train, I pulled my left adductor. That put me out for another 10 days,” he said.
Even though he could not play the ATP event in Singapore, he and his partner Yuki Bhambri were given the first-round prize money. Moreover, ATP also took care of the quarantine expenses.
The extended stay away from tennis also meant Jeevan could celebrate his fourth marriage anniversary with his wife, golfer Neha.
“That kept my spirits up. It is a tough situation for a lot of people in many different ways. I see things in perspective, and count my
blessings,” he said.
At a disadvantage
Jeevan does feel that many players on the Tour have a bit of “an inflated ranking”, owing to the new rules, which may put him at a disadvantage. He has slipped to 192, from a career-best 64.
All about patience
“As long as I am working on my game and staying fit, I am confident about getting back into double-digit ranking and competing in the Slams again. It is all about patience and acceptance,” he reasoned.
While Jeevan is focused on the tennis circuit, wife Neha is training in Chandigarh for the next set of golf events in the country.
