Vimalraj Jayachandran is one of the country’s rising stars in Tennis, he has been associated with the sport since his childhood. He considers Gael Monfils as his idol for his court coverage, energy and interactions with the crowd. The 25 year old also runs TEE TO Z, a startup which designs all kinds of clothing.

In this exclusive interview with SPOGO, Vimalraj shares his journey on and off the Tennis courts, cricket getting all the attention in the country, running a startup and his future goals in the sport.

Q 1) How did you start playing Tennis and when did you plan to take it up professionally?

I started playing tennis at a very young age but I had briefly stopped playing the sport because I lost my racket. I resumed playing in 3rd grade when I was 9 years old. I started playing professionally at the age of 14 and subsequently started winning national level matches and events which gave me a lot of confidence.

Q 2) Which type of courts are you most comfortable on and how is it better suited than the others?

I prefer playing on clay courts as the ball usually comes slower than other surfaces and it suits my playing style. I tend to use a lot of topspin on my shots which makes the ball bounce higher so it is easier for me. On the other hand I’m a counter puncher, so it tends to be easier to receive, strike and slide easily on the clay courts and to keep on rallying. I'm actually improving on all surfaces but if I’m being honest then grass courts are also my favourite but the problem is that there aren’t many grass courts in India. I have only played once on a grass court but loved the feel of it. I have played a lot of matches on clay and that's where I am most comfortable.

Q 3) With the lack of exposure to the sport in the country, how difficult is it for a player to gain points on tour?

I think our country should support other sports as much as they support cricket or at least somewhat comparable. There is not much support for other sports financially and even crowd wise everything is just cricket and it is very annoying for other athletes. Even though we play professionally it's tough to get sponsors to go abroad and play. Tennis is a very expensive sport and I don't think the government is supporting our athletes enough. It is very difficult to score points because you need to travel abroad very often to get those points. You need to travel every month and play 2-3 ITF tournaments  to get those ATP points. It requires a lot of money and that is why every player needs sponsors.

Also read: I want to gain points to compete at the highest level – Meiraba Luwang

Q 4) What have been some of your most prized moments over the past few years?

I would say winning Khelo India was very good for me as I felt very proud and I really enjoyed playing it. During the finals I had a full body cramp and I was with 3 or 4 physios to play the doubles finals and we won the tournament so it was an amazing experience. Another one was when I played well in China, I also faced the top seed but couldn't take the match towards my side. My entire journey itself has been amazing and when I look back at it there is a smile on my face no matter what the consequences and hurdles. It's always a pleasure to have had that journey.

Q 5) What are some of the challenges that you have faced in your journey so far and how did you overcome them?

Playing any other sport professionally other than cricket in India is itself a major obstacle to pass through. Being able to play the sport for a prolonged period of time without financial support is a challenge as there isn't sufficient funding for the players. It becomes a barrier when you want to play more matches or events. 

These experiences are part of the reason why I started my own business a few months ago. It is a startup called TEE TO Z which is into cloth manufacturing. It has helped me financially as the number of clients are slowly increasing. In my game, I'm focusing on playing more aggressively on court and try to play as many matches as possible on tour.

Q 6) What are your short term and long term goals and how do you plan on achieving them?

I suffered an ACL tear recently which put me out of competition for six months although it did not require surgery as it healed through time. It certainly affected my mind as it was my first injury and made me question my future in the sport. In my comeback, I played a few tournaments and my form was decent which put my mind back at ease.

The short term goals would be to play more matches in the ITF circuit and regain my rankings on tour as I haven't played specific events due to financial restraints. In the long term goals, I want to enter the top 1000 of the rankings by the end of this year.