WHEN SOMDEV DEVVARMAN steps on the DLTA courts, he brings with himself a touch of invincibility. Ask him about his love-affair with the venue, where he has not lost single match since 2010, he struggles to find the right answer.
It all began with winning the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold and continued with two Delhi Open titles, the second coming in February this year. He could not say much on what makes DLTA so good for him but he is sure about one that thing that he feels "different" when he play here and hopes to continue his special relationship with the venue and help India qualify for the elite Davis Cup World Group.
He has not had a great season so far but he wants to keep a safe distance from number crunchers.
On his own admission, he does not "care" about rankings any more and just concentrates on playing good tennis. He says he is losing some close matches and if he can win those, everything will fall back in place. He has had ordinary last two years on the demanding Tour but is sure that he can "make it happen".
While he is not keen on talking about his ranking, the admiration for compatriot Yuki Bhambri was evident as he spoke about the Delhi boy's red-hot form.
Somdev feels that the kind of form Yuki is in these days, he looks set to break into top-100 and his title win at Shanghai Challenger is a great morale booster ahead of the Davis Cup tie.