New Delhi, Feb 2: Often, it’s the little things that make a big difference, especially in an athlete’s life.
Once the legendary Mahesh Bhupathi was asked what can make or a break a tennis player’s day or match and he said it could be anything: a bad breakfast, a wrong call, bad sleep, it could be any little thing that otherwise seems irrelevant.
Players have to be in their zone to give their best. Leander Paes preferred to be left alone after completing his last training session ahead of a match. He entered his zone and did not appreciate presence of even “friends” in those minutes leading up to the contest.
Anything could distract.
Small things were changed in the Indian Davis Cup set-up for the tie against Togo and it was evident that they made a difference.
When off-court requirements are taken care of, it helps immensely on court. Tackling Togo was not not even a test for the Indian team considering the sheer difference in caliber of the home players. But it was evident that the changes made had a telling impact on the psyche of the players, who rejoiced together right from the build-up till the end of the tie. The locker room is sacrosanct and its privacy was maintained. It was also ensured that the players lounge remained for players only. Even the AITA officials were not allowed to enter that space, which was not the case before.
If the training session was to start at 11am, new coach Ashutosh Singh ensured that the first ball was hit sharp at 11am, and there were no delays. Whatever training modules were set, they were followed to the ‘T’. If a serve session was planned, it was executed the way it was devised.
For the first time there were three physios helping out the bunch.
The result was that the players felt free, ready for fight, give their best. There was camaraderie which showed even during the press interactions.
When skipper Rohit Rajpal revealed how Ramkumar Ramanathan has always pulled pranks on Sasikumar Mukund, Ramkumar was quick to point out that he never was alone and the captain himself was also involved in those acts.
Karan Singh was asked if he was disappointed to miss a live rubber and Mukund was quick to jump in and utter maturely that all players, playing and non-playing were equally important. It didn’t matter if the job was to bring water bottles or to swing racket on court in a match. (PTI)
