Ramkumar’s confident show against Cilic raises hopes of a strong 2018

The decks were already stacked against Ramkumar Ramanathan when he was drawn to face top seed Marin Cilic in the second round of the Tata Open Maharashtra on Wednesday. Even though he already has a top-10 upset under his belt – beating Dominic Thiem in Antalya last June – very few would have expected him to upset the world No 6 and former US Open champion. However, what was expected of him and what he promised was a fight to the finish, and on that count he delivered.

The final score read 6-4, 6-3 in 73 minutes but Ramkumar took the fight to the former champion with his booming serve and big forehand in front of the raucous crowd.

In the battle of big-servers – both clocking above 200 with a cracking 223 kmph serve by Cilic — the first point was an ace at 216 kmph from the 6’6 Croatian. The top seed took the early lead with a break in the third game. But when the Croatian was serving for the set, Ramkumar broke him back in a game where his one-handed backhand shone. However, he couldn’t hold on to the momentum as he lost his serve and the set in the next game.

The second set saw more errors from the Indian even as he tried to attack a lot more. There was a enthralling rally in the second game with Ramkumar and Cilic pushing each other to all parts of the court but it was a brief flare.

Cilic broke in the fourth game and thereafter kept his grip on the match as Ramkumar saved a breakpoint in the fifth game with a gritty hold. But he stepped up the attack on the Indian’s weaker backhand even as he played a strong serve and volley game to hold. However, he didn’t throw in the towel as he won 13 out of his 18 first serves, which included three aces.

“I gave my best from the first points. I believed in it, I came on court thinking I really had a chance. A few points here and there cost the game but there is a lot to learn and I think I am in the right path” Ramkumar said after the match, adding that it’s always a matter for few points against top players.

But there were many positives to take back for the world No 148. From his first ATP World Tour quarterfinal run in Antalya to his first Masters tournament and win in Cincinnati, his game and world ranking has steadily improved and it showed in his game on Wednesday.

“Beating Thiem was a big thing for me, it made me believe that I can play close with anybody no matter Cilic or anybody,” he added.

His brave effort was even praised by Cilic, who was impressed with his serve but said his backhand needs to get better.

“He is serving quite good, he has got good pace on the first serve and on second serve as well he was good today. His forehand is also quite good coming in, just off the backhand he was probably not as consistent as he could be and that’s obviously an area he can work still in his game. But overall he was fighting quite well and he had good mentality on court so obviously that’s important.”

The mentality Cilic speaks of was evident throughout the match. At no point did it feel like the 23-year-old was accepting the inevitable. As the Croatian said post the game, aggression was rewarded in the match and Ramkumar tried to keep up the attack throughout.

In fact, right before Cilic was serving for the match, the Chennai-player was conducting the crowd, asking them to be louder.

Asked whether the crowd support helps, he cracked his first smile of the post-match press conference. “It’s always fun to play in India, you don’t get these conditions when you go outside. if you play well it (the crowd support) obviously helps a lot. Here and there it can make a huge difference, when it’s a close point and you’re trying to push them. So I’ve been doing it and it has been helping me,” he said.

Talking about his backhand which was targeted, he said that his slice is also getting better. “My slice has also improved. I kept it deep, I kept it short, I played it as well I could. But I was pushed back with the slice because he is a good player and knew what to do,” Ramkumar explained.

Next up for him will be the Australian Open qualifiers and then a trip to US to train for a few weeks with his Spanish coach Emilio Sanchez. After that, barring a phenomenal run at Melbourne Park, he will be back to the grind on the Challenger circuit. But with the momentum of a good season, his ever-sharper game and the fighting mentality, Ramkumar can be assured of continuing his 2018 on a positive note.