“I just tried to control my controllables” – Dhakshineswar Suresh after Round 1 win in Bengaluru

In-form Dhakshineswar Suresh got his Bengaluru campaign off to a commanding start on Tuesday. The towering Indian comfortably defeated Croatia’s Duje Ajdukovic 6-4, 6-4 to secure a place in the Round of 16. Standing six feet six inches tall, Suresh dominated the match from start to finish, using a powerful first serve to great effect as he fired 20 aces and controlled play from the opening game.

Excerpts from the post match interview below –

Q) Thoughts on the win today

DK – Coming in here and playing in Bengaluru is always amazing. They have great facilities here. This is the first Bengaluru Challenger of my career. I really love the place and conditions. Coming in here, I was confident because I was playing the World Tennis League (WTL) a couple of weeks ago. So I knew the conditions. I just tried to go in there, play my game, and control my controllables. In the end, I was happy with the outcome.

Q) This is the venue for the Davis Cup as well. So do you think you’re more focused playing this week? Because that experience will help and you’ve already experienced the pressure of a Davis Cup match and this time it’s a bigger team (Netherlands)

DK – Yeah, for sure. Playing Davis Cup is an honor, first of all, and it being happening here, it’s also a good thing because I’ve already been used to the conditions. This is my second tournament here in the last few weeks, so getting more matches here would definitely help me to get ready more for the Davis Cup in a month.

So, yeah, I’m just, taking one match at a time here, and then come back for the Davis Cup pretty strong.

Q) So you basically play in and around the area where you are based in the US So when you come to locations like this, and I think you played the Chennai Challenger way back, six, seven years back. So when you move out of the US and into settings like this, does your preparation, preparation change or what do you, what do you do?

DK – I mean, the preparation is always the same. It’s just the conditions differ. So coming in early, getting the same working hours, getting used to the conditions, the balls are different every week you travel.

So just come here early and then get used to the conditions and the preparation wise, it’s all the same every week. But yeah, you play a lot of indoors in the US because sometimes it gets cold. So those are the same conditions. Mostly. Like the altitude helps with myself and stuff. So, yeah, I would say the preparation race is all the same.

These conditions help me because it’s high altitude, the ball pops off the string. So it gives me an advantage on the serve for sure.

Q) How do you train your serve?

DK – Same, just repetition on my serves, because serve is one of the biggest aspects of my game. So just try to focus on it every day as much as I could. Serves and wallies are the biggest thing in My game style. So just get out there and just rep serves at like a basket a day or two.

So just also the same throughout the process. I need to keep my shoulder healthy as well because it’s a lot of serves coming in every day. So, yeah, I just do a lot of Rehab and focus on my serves every day. And then once I get into the match, I’ve done this a million times, so it just comes automatically.

Q) What’s your plan after college?

DK – I still have four or five months left, and then I’ll be done and then I plan to go play full time. But also I’m trying to keep my base in the US somewhere close to my college or Florida, somewhere where the weather is good. But I still have to find a coach and people to practice with. So I’m in the process of that, taking it day by day.

And the coaches in my college are also really helpful, so they’re trying to find and figure out what I can do in the next few months.

Q) During WTL, you also got the chance to spend some time with another big server like Nick Kyrgios. Did you ask for any tips or anything to improve your service game or anything other aspects.

DK – I mean he actually loved myself so he, he didn’t have much to say on that. So yeah but other than that was giving me a few tips where obviously he’s played against the final and he’s around. He had that experience so picking his brain here and there was really good. So and so yeah nothing much on the serve.

I just have to keep repping. Everyone can hit a ball nowadays. This is mentally during 30-40, or Ad Out. What’s your mindset in there? That’s, that’s what matters now. So I’m just trying to work on that more.

Q) Experience on playing and beating Medvedev in WTL?

DK – Playing Medvedev was like you don’t get that chances often. So I just went in there chased every moment, just played my game style. Nothing to do, nothing to worry about. Win or loss, is not going to make a difference. But the experience of playing him was a big thing.

So, same thing. I just went in there, did my job on my service games, and then he played one bad game on his serve and then that’s where I caught on it. And. And yeah, in the end I was happy with the win.

Q) You are in your last semester. How many weeks of tennis you are looking forward to play on the Challenger Tour?

DK – Also depends on the schedule of the college matches we get. I’ll try to squeeze in here and there a few challengers. I’ll try to play three to four in the upcoming four months. But even with the tennis season for college, it might be tough.

So I gotta have a word with my coaches and see where I can go and what I can do. I will be missing the Indian Challengers in February for sure.

Q) Who is your coach, please?

DK – His name is Tony Bresky from Wake Forest. He’s the Head Coach. And Brian Baker is the Head Associate Coach. He was top 50 in the world. I learned a lot from him.