Some of the leading Indian tennis players are gainfully employed in tournaments in Europe and the US, but Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan is in no hurry to return to the circuit.
“It became an easy decision for me personally as I know that I needed to be here to give the family resort a stronger foundation in Pondicherry, to reopen post the lockdown,” said the 31-year-old Jeevan.
Last year, he was busy competing in the Challengers with Sriram Balaji, and with Leander Paes in the Davis Cup tie against Pakistan.
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“I have been travelling for about 30 weeks every year since finishing college in the University of Washington in 2011. I learnt from tennis that sometimes we need to embrace the uncertainty and go with the flow,” he said.
Jeevan’s wife, Neha, is a golfer. She will soon start her training after six months. “Neha is preparing to train in Chandigarh to have a strong start once golf tournaments begin again at home. We are both very supportive about our career and decisions which help us beyond what I can put in words. We are also very fitness oriented by nature, and have stayed fit through the long break,” said Jeevan.
With a property spread over 30 acres in Pondicherry, Jeevan is actually toying with the idea of having a tennis centre, hosting national and international tournaments.
“It is something I would love to organise and bring into reality. This requires a lot of funding for the plan to work. If a tennis lover who wants to be the saviour of the Indian tournament structure can collaborate with me, I would be open to the idea of tennis at the resort,” said Jeevan.
“The cushion of a protected ranking makes it easy for me to take this break. I have the game to get back to the top 70 and play the Grand Slams again,” he observed.
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