Divij Sharan soars to top of Indian doubles rankings

Divij Sharan climbed a spot to reach the 38th position on the ATP doubles rankings and in the process became India's number one doubles player.

Divij Sharan has soared to the top of the Indian doubles ranking charts for the first time in his career. (File Photo)

Divij Sharan on Monday became India’s new number one doubles player, overtaking veteran Rohan Bopanna by moving to the 38th spot in the latest ATP rankings.

The left-handed Sharan, who has been one of the most consistent players on the doubles circuit with partner Artem Sitak, has soared to the top of the Indian ranking charts for the first time in his career.

Bopanna dropped nine places to 39 while Leander Paes gained two places to reach 60. Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan touched a career-high rank of 72 after jumping three places.

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“It feels amazing to have become the highest ranked player in India today. It’s not easy by any means with Mahesh, Leander and Rohan having dominated the doubles circuit for the last couple of decades but they have carved the path and set the trend for the rest of us,” the 32-year-old said.

“We have had as many as seven players from India ranked in the top 100 this year which is impressive. Personally it’s been another positive year for me where I was able to achieve my best ranking of 36 and win a gold medal for India at the Asian Games,” he added.

Sharan said he will cherish the moment and strive to get better. “I am really happy that all the work I have put in is paying off and the milestone of being the highest ranked player in the country is something I can cherish with my family and the people who have helped me with my career. I am still looking to work hard on my game and achieve even more next year,” he said.

India's Divij Sharan (left) celebrates with his partner Artem Sitak after reaching the 2018 Wimbledon quarterfinal.

 

Sharan has won only one Challenger this season but reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals was the highlight of the 2018 season. He also reached semifinal stage of various ATP 250 tournaments this year.

In the singles category, Yuki Bhambri dropped a spot to 108 and is followed by Ramkumar Ramanathan (121, +3), Prajnesh Gunneswaran (142, +4) and Sumit Nagal (311, +1).

In the WTA charts, Ankita Raina remains India’s lone singles player in the top-200 at number 197. Karman Kaur Thandi, who ended runner-up at Nanning on Sunday, remained at 215. Her points from Nanning will be added next week.