OLD BALLS, PLEASE!!

Tennis players are a versatile breed. Some of them choose to quit at the top of their game; not ready to play the role of an also-ran after scaling the highest peaks of the sport. Others continue to grind it out on the professional circuit, years after their best days are behind them.

Jimmy Connors dropped out of the top 10 in April 1989 but continued playing for a few more years. And the Connors legend would not be the same were it not for his improbable yet magical run to the US Open semi-finals at the age of 39.

It takes a certain amount of character to continue playing when age or your body has got the better of you. It takes guts to come back from injury after injury; surgery after surgery; setback after setback - and put yourself in a position to be beaten by an opponent you know is not in the same league as you. It takes courage to defy the odds and the ravages of the ageing process for that one last shot at glory. And it takes a pure sacred love of the game to continue playing for the chase of that one last shot.

No one exemplifies these qualities more than Lleyton Hewitt, David Nalbandian and Tommy Haas - three former top-ranked men, two of whom were part of the ATP NEW BALLS, PLEASE campaign launched in 2001, who are now in the midst of their latest comeback attempts.

Hewitt is by far the most accomplished of the trio - having won 2 Grand Slams and reaching the top ranking in April 2001. Its been five years now since he has been ranked in the top 10 and six since he last reached the semi-finals at a Slam. It would have been easy for him to settle into the family life with his three kids or into the role of a Davis Cup captain. But a surgery on each of his hips and his ankle later, the Australian is still slugging it out on the tour. Hewitt had a 4-4 record this year until his latest setback - the ankle - put a brake on his season in March. He is back this week at the Gerry Weber Open and has won his first two matches - over Leonardo Mayer and Andreas Seppi - to reach the quarter-finals.

30 year old Hewitt certainly doesn't believe he is a spent force. In his post-match interview after beating Mayer, the Aussie said, "Ranking is not important to me. I have been out of the game for over three months and I feel it's tough to readjust. I couldn't care less about points.I have to pick up my game again, my timing, movement, footwork - everything has to become second nature again." He believes there will be more moments like last June where he unexpectedly beat Roger Federer in the finals of this same tournament after losing to the Swiss the last 15 times they had played. Not many think Hewitt has a chance to win Wimbledon this year, but at the same time, all the top seeds will be hoping to avoid drawing him in the early rounds at SW 19.

David Nalbandian is the opponent that Hewitt beat for his Wimbledon title and the 29 year old Argentine is now in a similar position to Hewitt. Nalbandian has been a sort of an enigma to many. Many anointed him as a Grand Slam champion but he never made it to another Slam final following that Wimbledon loss. And questionable fitness and a body that broke down at regular intervals has meant that he has not been to the semi-finals of a Slam since 2006.

In May 2009, Nalbandian underwent a hip surgery, and then had to endure abdominal and knee injuries as he launched his comeback in 2010. And in 2011, its been a torn hamstring and a hernia,that has prevented him from competing since March. Still ranked a respectable 24th in the world, Nalbandian also returned to the tour this week at the Ageon Classic in Queen's beating Illya Marchenko and Ilija Bozoljac before losing to the Spaniard Fernando Verdasco. Nalbandian will be another player the top seeds will be looking to avoid when the draw is made.

The oldest, most injured, and least accomplished of this triumvirate is 33 year old Tommy Haas. The German rose to #2 in the world in 2001, but was soon involved in a severe accident that nearly claimed the lives of his parents, leaving his father in a coma. Haas spent much of the 2002 season taking care of his family instead of playing tennis. At the end of his lay-off because of his parent's accident, he seriously injured his shoulder, requiring a major operation. He was plagued by further injuries and complications, and did not return to tennis until 2004. He then had shoulder surgery in November 2007 which took him out for 3 months. In 2010, the German had to undergo a right hip surgery followed by a right elbow surgery. Haas played his first singles match in 14 months at the French Open last month where he was beaten in the first round and he also lost his first match at Halle this week.

Haas is a little more skeptical about his future. Following his loss in Paris, he said, "I'm just kind of right there where I'm not sure where the body will be. All I try to do is to get it back to a place where I feel really comfortable for a few hours playing a match. And if that's possible, then I'll continue to play if I still have some success. And if I know it's next month or the end of the year that that's not the case, then I know where I am at and I can make a decision if I continue to play."

Here's hoping that they stick around a little longer and the sport, that they have given their life to, gives them a chance to go out on their own terms. Each one of them brings something unique to the game. Hewitt's fighting and competitive spirit, Nalbandian's smooth groundstrokes, and Haas' flowing one-handed backhand will be sorely missed when they decide to hang up their rackets for good.

Indians shine at Indian Wells

India's leading players scored a rare treble success on Wednesday at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, California - one of tennis' most prestigious events outside of the Grand Slams.

India's top-ranked woman, Sania Mirza, was on court for only 14 minutes when her opponent, Italy's Romina Oprandi, ranked 83 on the WTA list, had to retire with an injury. Mirza will most likely return to the top 100 when the next rankings are released following her win and she will meet 25th seed Domnika Cibulkova in the second round on Friday.

India's top men's player, Somdev Devvarman, currently ranked #84, beat Australian Greg Jones 6-2, 6-4 to qualify for the main draw. Devvarman, who upset Janko Tipsarevic in the Davis Cup on Friday, now takes on 22 year old Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, ranked #59 on the ATP list on Thursday. The two have played once before in the qualifying draw at the French Open in 2010 with Devvarman winning that one 6-4, 6-1. The winner of that match will take on 19th seed Marco Baghdatis in the second round.

The biggest surprise for the Indians came when 31 year old Rohan Bopanna, a doubles specialist who rarely plays singles and is ranked 629 in singles, upset world no. 80 Daniel Brands 7-6, 7-6 to qualify for his first ever Masters series in singles. This is the first time ever that 2 Indians are competing in the main draw of an ATP Masters series event. Bopanna will fancy his chances in the first round as he takes on wild card Aussie tennager Bernard Tomic, especially if his serve is on song. A win there will se up a rematch of Friday's Davis Cup encounter against Victor Toicki, which Troicki won in 5 tough sets.

Read me at http://on.fb.me/eG4o3o; E-mail me at hareshramchandani@gmail.com; Follow me on Twitter @TennisChroniclr

THE LOVE CHRONICLES

PART I -

It was January 1999 when she first caught my attention. I was 19 and she was 15 – long ponytailed with a mole under her chin. There was something that attracted me to her. But that was that. I was already committed to another woman – my childhood sweetheart, who I had adored since I was 8 or 9 years old. I was going to be hers forever.

In June that year, the 15 year old captured my attention once again. A month later, my childhood sweetheart called time on our relationship. It was time to move on, she declared. I didn't want to understand. But deep down, I did. I wished her the best and struggled to cope with the gaping emptiness inside me.

I decided it was time for me to move on too – and find someone else. In the years that followed, there were lots of other women. A one-time rival of my childhood sweetheart, an American, a Belgian, a Frenchwoman, an Indian – even the 15 year old held my fancy for a while. But with each new woman came the realisation that maybe the void inside me would never be filled.

The 15 year old went on to achieve great success on her professional front, even as she struggled with her tyrannical father – the sorts who would make a very evil villian in a fairytale or a Bollywood movie. A few years later, she dropped out of my radar and the world's, struggling with personal & health issues. Every now and then, I'd hear an update about her – one that she cut off ties from her father – another that she was attempting to get back to her profession.

In January 2009, 10 years after I first noticed the then 15 year old, she was back in my life – in the midst of a professional upsurge. She poured her heart out. She spoke openly about the problems she had with her father, her physical ailments & the depression that followed. Some days, she said, she didn't feel like getting out of bed at all. I couldn't help but feel for her. I encouraged her – cheered every new success – thought maybe she was the one after all who could fill the emptiness inside me. But things don't always work out the way you plan. I didn't see much of her in the months ahead. To be fair to her, she tried her best this time but maybe it just wasn't meant to be.

In the last few months, I've been seeing a lot more of her. At 28, she's more mature now and knows this could well be her last chance. At 31, I'm older and wiser too. My notions & ideals have changed. I'm not looking for anyone to replace my childhood sweetheart anymore – just for someone exciting enough to get me going for a few days/ weeks/ months. Until I come across that special someone again. I'm not sure if I will. But hope is what the world is built on they say and the now 28 year old has been giving me plenty to be hopeful about once again.

I still pine for my childhood sweetheart. It's hard not to. In the years since she left me, I'd read about her occasionally – at charity events, exhibitions, there was even the ceremony where she was honoured by her fellow professionals. Sometimes, I'd watch old vidoes and reminisce about the days gone by. I hope some day in the future our paths will cross again. But she has found her happiness away from me, with a wonderful man and two adorable children. I'm working hard on finding mine and so is my new sweetheart!!



PART II -
It was January 1999 when Jelena Dokic first caught my attention. I was 19 and she was 15 – long ponytailed with a mole under her chin and fierce groundstrokes. There was something that attracted me to this Yugolsav-born Australian resident. But that was that. I was already committed to another woman – Steffi Graf, who I had adored since I was 8 or 9 years old. I was going to be hers forever.

In June that year, Dokic captured my attention once again - stunning the world No. 1 Martina Hingis 6-2, 6-0 in the first round of Wimbledon. A month later, Graf called time on her career. It was time to move on, she declared. I didn't want to understand. But deep down, I did. I wished her the best and struggled to cope with the gaping emptiness inside me now that my favourite player had retired.

I decided it was time for me to move on too – and find someone else to root for. In the years that followed, there were lots of other women. Monica Seles, a one-time rival of Graf, was a big favourite since returning from her unfortunate stabbing; American Jennifer Capriati, whose journey from teenage superstardom to rehab and back to Grand Slam glory won her legions of fans including me; Belgium's Kim Clijsters, France's Mary Pierce, India's Sania Mirza; even Dokic held my fancy for a while. But with each new woman came the realisation that maybe the void inside me would never be filled.

Dokic went on to achieve great success on the professional circuit, climbing all the way to world no. 4 in 2002, even as she struggled with her tyrannical father – the sorts who would make a very evil villian in a fairytale or a Bollywood movie. A few years later, she dropped out of my radar and the world's, struggling with personal & health issues. Every now and then, I'd hear an update about her – one that she cut off ties from her father – another that she was attempting to get back to the professional tennis scene.

In January 2009, 10 years after I first noticed her, Dokic was back in my life – in the midst of a Cindrella run at the Australian Open, where she marched her way to the quarter-finals as the 187th ranked wild card entrant. She poured her heart out. She spoke openly about the problems she had with her father, her physical injuries & the depression that followed. Some days, she said, she didn't feel like getting out of bed at all. I couldn't help but feel for her. I encouraged her – cheered every new success – thought maybe she was the one after all who could fill the emptiness inside me. But things don't always work out the way you plan. I didn't see much of her in the months ahead as she was unable to build on the momentum of her run in Melbourne. To be fair to her, she tried her best this time but maybe it just wasn't meant to be.

In the last few months, I've been seeing a lot more of Dokic. At 28, she's more mature now and knows this could well be her last chance. At 31, I'm older and wiser too. My notions & ideals have changed. I'm not looking for anyone to replace Graf anymore – just for someone exciting enough to get me going for a few days/ weeks/ months. Until I come across that special someone again. I'm not sure if I will. But hope is what the world is built on they say and Dokic has been giving me plenty to be hopeful about once again. She won 3 back-to-back challengers on the ITF Tour last summer. She began 2011 with main draw victories at the WTA event in Brisbane and the Australian Open, then qualified for the WTA Paris Indoors and went all the way to the quarter-finals. This week in Kuala Lampur, Dokic scored her first top 5 win in 8 years with an opening round victory over reigning French Open champion Francesca Schiavone en route to winning her first WTA title in 9 years – moving back into the top 60 in the world.

I still pine for Graf. It's hard not to. In the years since she retired, I'd read about her occasionally – at charity events, exhibition matches, and there was even the Hall of Fame induction where she was honoured by her fellow professionals. Sometimes, I'd watch old vidoes and reminisce about the days gone by. I hope some day in the future our paths will cross again. But she has found her happiness away from me, with a wonderful man and two adorable children. I'm working hard on finding mine and so is my new favourite – Jelena Dokic!!

Read me at http://on.fb.me/eG4o3o; E-mail me at hareshramchandani@gmail.com; Follow me on Twitter @TennisChroniclr