Saketh Myneni, after years of hard work finally got his ticket to his maiden Grand Slam for US Open 2016. Myneni’s first round was against Jiri Vesely, World number 49. Playing against a superior ranked player, he was expected to lose. However, Saketh Myneni rose against the writing, by almost beating his opponent. But, it was only almost as he lost out to cramps and limped out of the 5 setter game. It was in the fifth set after he got his match point, anti-climax set in and he couldn’t move thanks to the cramps in his right thigh. This costed him the game and a much deserved second round clash with Novak Djokovic.
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The final score line of US Open first round read 6-7 (5) 6-4 6-2 2-6 5-7 after a battle that lasted 3 hours and 47 minutes. No doubt, it was a marathon battle but the Indian has limped out for the second match within this month. Against Korea in the Davis Cup tie in July, Myneni encountered a severe bout of body cramps but managed to win against Yong-Kyu Lim. While Lim could return to play reverse singles, Myneni couldn’t recover in time and hence Rohan Bopanna had to step in.
Reason
On questioning Myneni about his fitness, he answered it was not a question of fitness, but rather due to his excessive sweat rate. He further added that “I lose a lot of fluids while practising too. The trainers know what kind of body I have and it takes a while to get solution. There is progress in the last two years. I have put in a lot of effort”. It has to be noted that Saketh Myneni travels alone without a trainer or a coach.
Time is running for the 28 year old and he needs to find a quick solution to have a successful career.
