Somdev Devvarman facts for kids
Devvarman at the 2015 Wimbledon Qualifying
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| Full name | Somdev Kishore Devvarman |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  India |
| Residence | Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S. |
| Born | 13 February 1985 Agartala, Tripura, India |
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Turned pro | 2008 |
| Retired | 2017 (last match 2016) |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| College | University of Virginia |
| Prize money | $1,459,122 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 62–81 (43.36% in ATP Tour and Grand Slam main draw matches, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 62 (25 July 2011) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (2013) |
| French Open | 2R (2013) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (2011) |
| US Open | 2R (2009, 2013) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Olympic Games | 1R (2012) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 19–26 (42.22% in ATP Tour and Grand Slam main draw matches, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 139 (31 October 2011) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (2010) |
| French Open | 1R (2011) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (2011) |
| US Open | 3R (2011) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | 1R (2010) |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing India |
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| Men's Tennis | ||
| Commonwealth Games | ||
| Gold | 2010 Delhi | Singles |
| Asian Games | ||
| Gold | 2010 Guangzhou | Singles |
| Gold | 2010 Guangzhou | Doubles |
| Bronze | 2010 Guangzhou | Team |
Somdev Kishore Devvarman (born 13 February 1985) is a former professional tennis player from India. He became famous for being one of the best college tennis players ever. He was the only college player to reach the finals of the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship three times in a row. He won the championship twice in his junior and senior years at the University of Virginia. Only a few other players have achieved this since 1950. In 2008, he had an amazing record of 44 wins and only 1 loss at the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship.
His best result in a major professional tennis tournament, called the ATP World Tour, was reaching the final of the Chennai Open in 2009. He got into this tournament as a special entry, called a "wild card." In 2010, Somdev won a gold medal in men's singles at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. He then won two more gold medals at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, for both men's singles and doubles.
For his achievements in tennis, the Indian government gave him the Arjuna Award in 2011. In 2017, he was chosen to be the national observer for tennis in India. In 2018, he received another important award, the Padma Shri.
Contents
Early Life and College Tennis
Somdev was born in Guwahati, India, to a Tripuri family. His family moved to Calcutta when he was very young, and then to Madras (now Chennai) when he was 8. He started playing tennis at age 9 and went to school in Chennai.
When he was 17, Somdev began playing in smaller professional tournaments called Futures tournaments. He won a championship in Kolkata in 2004, which helped his world ranking go up. Later that year, he moved to the USA to study at the University of Virginia. While in college, he became a star in college tennis.
In 2007, Somdev won the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship by beating a top player named John Isner. A year later, he won the championship again, becoming one of only a few players in the tournament's 124-year history to win two years in a row. He had an incredible record of 44 wins and only 1 loss in 2008. Somdev finished college with a degree in sociology and became a professional tennis player in 2008. His college, the University of Virginia, honored him by retiring his jersey in 2009.
Professional Tennis Career
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Starting His Career
After college, Somdev started his full-time professional career. He won his first professional singles title at a Futures tournament in New York. He also won doubles titles with his college partner, Treat Huey.
In 2008, Somdev won the Lexington Challenger tournament. He beat several higher-ranked players to win this title. He also reached the quarterfinals of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, a bigger tournament. By the end of 2008, his world ranking had jumped from 1033 to 204.
First Major Final in 2009
Somdev started 2009 by reaching his first ever ATP Tour final at the 2009 Chennai Open. He beat famous players like Carlos Moyá and Ivo Karlović on his way to the final. He eventually lost to Marin Čilić in the championship match.
Later that year, Somdev played in his first Grand Slam tournament, the US Open. He won his first match against Frederico Gil before losing in the second round. This was a big step for him.
Winning Gold Medals in 2010
In 2010, Somdev continued to play well. He reached the quarterfinals of the SA Open and the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
A major highlight of 2010 was when Somdev won the men's singles gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. He beat Greg Jones of Australia in the final. Just over a month later, he won two more gold medals at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. He won the singles gold by beating Denis Istomin and the doubles gold with his partner Sanam Singh. These wins were very important for India, even though they didn't give him ATP ranking points. By the end of 2010, his ranking reached a career high of No. 94.
Breakthrough Season in 2011
2011 was a great year for Somdev. He started the year ranked No. 108. He reached the final of the South African Tennis Open 2011, where he lost to Kevin Anderson. This helped his ranking go up to No. 80.
He then got a chance to play against world No. 2 Roger Federer at the 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships, which was a big experience for him. In the Davis Cup, he had a fantastic win against Janko Tipsarević, a top-ranked player from Serbia.
Somdev had his best performance at an ATP Masters 1000 event at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. He started in the qualifying rounds and then beat world No. 22 Marcos Baghdatis and world No. 52 Xavier Malisse. He then faced world No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the fourth round and played a tough match before losing. This amazing run pushed his ranking to No. 73. He continued his strong play at the Miami Masters, beating Milos Raonic before losing to world No. 6 David Ferrer.
He reached his career-best ranking of No. 66 in the world in 2011.
Injury and Comeback
In 2012, Somdev suffered a shoulder injury that kept him from playing for most of the first half of the season. This caused his ranking to drop significantly.
In 2013, Somdev made a strong comeback from his injury. He reached the second round of the 2013 Australian Open, beating a higher-ranked player. He also had a great run at the 2013 Sony Open Tennis in Miami, reaching the third round where he played against world No. 1 Novak Djokovic. He also qualified for the main draw of the 2013 French Open and played against Roger Federer in the second round. By the end of 2013, he was back in the top 100, ranked No. 90.
In February 2014 and 2015, Somdev won the Delhi Open singles title twice in a row.
Retirement from Tennis
On January 1, 2017, Somdev Devvarman announced that he was retiring from professional tennis.
Representing India
Davis Cup Matches
Somdev first played for India in the Davis Cup in 2008. The Davis Cup is a big international team competition in men's tennis. He helped India win important matches, including against Chinese Taipei and South Africa, which helped India move into the World Group. He had a memorable win against Janko Tipsarević of Serbia in 2011.
Olympic Games
Somdev played in his first Olympic Games at London 2012. He received a special entry to play in the men's singles event.
Commonwealth Games Success
Tennis was included in the Commonwealth Games for the first time in 2010, held in Delhi, India. Playing in front of his home crowd, Somdev won the gold medal in men's singles.
Asian Games Success
Somdev represented India at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. He had an amazing performance, winning the gold medal in the men's singles event. He also teamed up with Sanam Singh to win another gold medal in the men's doubles event. Additionally, he was part of the Indian men's team that won a bronze medal.
Personal Life
Somdev's family is from the state of Tripura in India. He is connected to Tripura's old royal family. He is a big fan of tennis legend Roger Federer. He also looks up to Indian tennis players like the Krishnans (Ramesh Krishnan, Ramanathan Krishnan), Leander Paes, and Mahesh Bhupathi. Outside of tennis, he enjoys watching cricket and admires Sachin Tendulkar. His favorite movie is Good Will Hunting, and his favorite actress is Priyanka Chopra. He loves eating Sambar Rice and his favorite musician is Dave Matthews.
Images for kids
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Somdev Devvarman playing at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
See also
In Spanish: Somdev Devvarman para niños
