When Somdev Devvarman was at the peak of his career in 2011, a shoulder injury put a brake on his ascendancy but the gritty Indian says he has taken the tough period in his stride and is now aiming to re-enter the top-100 by the end of this season.
Somdev re-established India on the singles map with his memorable wins on the Tour and in Davis Cup. That he was gradually becoming a force to reckon with reflected in his singles ranking when he touched a career-best 62 in mid-2011.
However, a shoulder injury late in 2011 and a resultant surgery in early 2012, hit Somdev's career graph badly.
In the entire 2012 season post rehabilitation, he could win just two matches out of nine he played. In the process, his ranking plummeted to 664.
However, in the second half of the current year, he has again started to regain his space. He has moved to 113 on the back of his good run in the Challengers post Roland Garros.
Asked how he looks back at the tough period and could it have been different had he not suffered the shoulder injury, Somdev said he prefers to look ahead.
"It's difficult to say how my career would've progressed if I hadn't got injured when I did. But I was playing some good tennis at that point. However, injuries are a part and parcel of the sport and I've taken it in my stride," Somdev told PTI in an interview.
Now that he is getting back to his usual fighting self, demanding every single ounce of energy his opponent has in him to get the better of him, Somdev is now eyeing the top-100 bracket in the ATP rankings.
"Remain healthy, fit and injury free! To finish the year top-100 would also be great," he said.
