India’s Dhakshineswar Suresh (PTI Photo) BENGALURU: He helped give Indian tennis something to dream about late on Sunday, but the past eight months have been anything but a dream for Dhakshineswar Suresh.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!Currently ranked No. 470 on Tour, the 25-year-old senior communications student at Wake Forest University in North Carolina has beaten seven players in the top-170 during that span. The biggest of those victories came at the weekend after he defeated Jesper De Jong of the Netherlands, world No. 88, in Round 1 of Davis Cup qualifying. Dominant serving games and strong groundstrokes caught everyone’s attention. There was even more.As Sunday slipped into another day, Suresh became the toast of the nation as he powered India into the second round of qualifying with a famous win over Guy den Ouden in the decider. It was his booming serve that did the trick as he hammered 15 aces in the deciding fifth rubber to ensure India now face South Korea away in the second round of the Davis Cup qualifiers in September.NEXT FOR INDIA
- 18.-20. September: Second round of Davis Cup qualification.
- Number of teams: 14 (seven ties).
- India’s opponent: South Korea, who will host the play-off.
FORMAT
- The winners of the seven matches will join hosts Italy in the grand final. The losers will fight in the next qualifying round 1.
India’s journey to the 2nd round
- They beat Switzerland 3:1 in the outdoor playoff of World Group I in Biel (September 2025).
- They beat the Netherlands 3-2 at home in the 1st round of qualifying in Bengaluru.
Sending lightning bolts has become Suresh’s trademark, the result of years of consistent practice. He lubricates his smooth service movement daily and sends around 50-100 servings during training.It helps that he’s 6ft 6in in his socks. His height plays a big role as Madurai has a higher contact point to meet the ball at full stretch. This creates a steeper angle that adds more speed as it leaves the racket. “I’m using my height and working on my strengths. I’m trying to get a serve basket every day in practice. It’s always about consistency,” said Suresh, who enjoyed one of his best serving days against Croatia’s Duje Ajdukovic with 20 aces in the first round of the Bengaluru Open ATP 125 Challenger last month.“When I get into key moments, I think to myself, I’ve done it a million times in practice, so it’s just another ball that I’m going to hit. Serving is about practice, day in and day out. That’s how confident I am in serving,” he explained.Although the speed gun was not available in his last three tournaments that he started in Bengaluru – World Tennis League, Bengaluru Open and Davis Cup – it was easy to see the ball fly off his racket. His flat, powerful serve pushed opponents onto the back foot, creating space for him to close out points.And even if his first serve leaves him, Suresh has a powerful second kick serve that leaps off the court. So it’s no wonder that he recorded 33 aces and just six double faults in three Davis Cup singles matches. Last year, during his Davis Cup debut in Biel, he defeated the Swiss Jerome Kym, who was then ranked 155th.India’s non-playing captain Rohit Rajpal shed more light on what he called a “gifted delivery”. “Suresh has a beautiful whip on his serve which is hard to achieve unless you have a free stance and swing. He has a beautiful movement on his serve and therefore has a lot of speed. He has a very gifted serve. Not every tall player can serve well,” he said.In addition to his serve, Suresh is also comfortable at the net, a skill honed by playing doubles in college tennis. It was evident when Suresh teamed up with Yuki Bhambri in the doubles against the Dutch.Once he completes his studies in May, Suresh will have a big test on the Tour. “I’ll finish my studies in the US, then I’ll come in May and figure out my schedule. Once I’m lined up, I’ll start hitting the Tour and preparing for the next Davis Cup,” he said.
