Welcome! You have entered [Sports-India Chat] at 7:31 am
[] 7:31 am: ha thanks
[jayakris] 7:31 am: Hi everybody .. sorry I ran late
[] 7:31 am: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
[jayakris] 7:31 am: Hi Buuuuuujjjjiiiiiiii!!!!!
[] 7:31 am: Welcome Jay. Thanks for coordinating this session..
[jayakris] 7:32 am: I am just waking up .. Let me pour some malayali chai for myself :)
[] 7:32 am: lets start ... i m restless ... :D
[] 7:32 am: go for it
[] 7:32 am: jay here its time for :beer:
[] 7:33 am: Congrats on the NCAA win Somdev. The burning question that all of us have is why arent you turning pro
[jayakris] 7:33 am: More like :java:
[] 7:33 am: gautam directly going for point .. ;)
[jayakris] 7:33 am: OK, the chat is officially on with that question from Gautam !
[] 7:34 am: sorry couldnt resist
[] 7:35 am: i wanted to ask the same thing...just didnt want to start off with it ;)
[] 7:35 am: LOL ... i think we all r having burning desire to ask that ..
[jayakris] 7:35 am: keep it going .. Let me jave my tea.
[SOMDEV] 7:36 am: gbelday: well its a mix of different things. Im trying to be realistic and smart more than anything. I feel like i should be better next year considering ive improved the past 3 in school. I enjoy school so im loking forward to getting a degree from there. and the team championship for virginia is also a priority. Im very close to all my team mates and coaches. They've always been there for me.
[] 7:36 am: yeah .. Jay's tea .. :whistle:
[Sports-India Chat]: Kumar has entered at 7:36 am
[SOMDEV] 7:36 am: HOnestly speaking my coaches told me they would understand if i wanted to go pro but its my choice to stay in school. Its just something i really want do do before starting out in the real world
[] 7:37 am: somdev---what about atleast taking the first semester off?
[SOMDEV] 7:37 am: then i wouldnt get a degree in time
[] 7:37 am: great .. but u can always try few futures to test ur skills on tour .
[] 7:38 am: and then can always go to college drawing board to check what more tools u want to add in ur armoury
[SOMDEV] 7:38 am: thats also there. I dont think i lack skills. if i lack skills in a year i dont think it would be to different from where i am right now.. Basically i dont think either way is right or wrong. Theres pros and cons to both sides and I have decided to stay with school
[] 7:39 am: it will also help u to maintain decent ranking when from next year u will completly join tour ...
[SOMDEV] 7:40 am: i think i should be good enough and hopefully i will get the same support from people who feel like they can support me right now.
[Sports-India Chat]: puneets has entered at 7:40 am
[puneets] 7:40 am: Hi
[Sports-India Chat]: rsingh123 has entered at 7:41 am
[] 7:41 am: that u will always get ... not only from us but from whole virginia campus, who r ur true fans like us ... :)
[] 7:41 am: the way youve been playing recently, can u actually imagine ever being more confident in your game than you are right now
[] 7:42 am: the confidence you must have when youre out there must be amazing
[] 7:42 am: thats why i would think that the time is ripe to test out the pro waters
[jayakris] 7:42 am: Buji, the one thing I worry about is the type of tennis played in college, and it being a strict-hardcourt circuit. Would have been good to see you on some grasscourts and figuring out some things to work on during the next year. The British events starting in 2 weeks would have been good to play. In the fall and early next year the pro circuit is also all hard court in the US, so coming out next June is OK too except for playing some of the more agressive types on the pro tour, right?
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[] 7:43 am: Somdev, a player whom you beat twice at NCAA- Anderson has been doing very well in pros in revent weeks. Do you feel the eagerness to show to the world what you can do ?
[SOMDEV] 7:43 am: i certainly hope so. If i dont improve any more then its really no point in even trynig to play pro. The reason i want to play pro is not to stay at 300(even though thats incredibly hard). If i wanna do something with my tennis its going to have to be somewhere in the top 150 or higher atleast and play davis cup for india and do my best
[] 7:44 am: bingo . we r asking to give try and always respect ur decision of giving high priority to college asdecision must be taken after long thought from u ...
[] 7:45 am: we all believes that ur prsense can help team india to fill hollow singles slot which is hurting her to win ties ..
[SOMDEV] 7:46 am: anderson and isner are both playnig at a very high level. I see myself at a similar level right now. I dont feel like i need to prove anything to anybody. My results speak for themselves. My main aim is to stay motivated and keep enjoying the game. If that happens my game improves and my results take care of themselves
[] 7:47 am: :awe:
[rsingh123] 7:47 am: somdev,congratulations (late)...do know that u r our biggest hope in indian tennis
[] 7:47 am: So, what is your schedule for the summer Somdev?
[SOMDEV] 7:48 am: i agree that playing on different surfaces helps a lot. But early on lpayers can choose what surfaces they want to play on. It is only later on that you play the majors and you have grass and clay. which is also only for abuot 3 months in the whole year. so if you look at it close enough you can pick and choose where you want to play and be smart about the surface, climate, etc when you play tournaments.. surface in college isnt a concern for me right now
[SOMDEV] 7:49 am: i hadnt taken a holiday or been home in about 3 years(apart from a brief visit for the chennai open). SO i wanted to give myself some time before i started back out. I am scheduled to play the kennedy funding invitational tournament in new york. You can google it and fin the details. its a very very good tournament. hopefully i'll play the legg mason after and maybe a couple more atp events which im not sure of when exactly right now
[] 7:50 am: so what r ur current concerns? how u r planning ur schedule?
[] 7:50 am: oh. too bad im not at home!
[] 7:50 am: ny
[] 7:50 am: Yeah....can't wait to meet you in NY
[jayakris] 7:51 am: More than the surface itself, I was wondering about the style of game one polishes up on grass which helps in adding more winners to the arsenal on hard courts itself. I have found some top college players who later found the aggressive playing style on the pro tour (by some players) tough to handle, as the more steady game in college is what theyare used to. The variety on the pro tour may be needed to fine-tune the game even if you will be primarily selecting hard courts later on (or clay)?
[SOMDEV] 7:52 am: im trying to stay focussed on improving my game. I feel like if i keep improving other things tend to take care of themselves. obviously i am a little worried about how i will manage myself on the tour but once again i feel like things will happen if im playnig well enough. If not im still willing to grind it out
[] 7:53 am: ok ... so that means u r not mentally prepared for the tour ...
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[SOMDEV] 7:54 am: i agree with you jay. but i think thats a part of developing noes game. and that problem is faced by players in the 300's and the top college players.idont think thats different. Personally i think that i hit the ball and do the other things in the game just as well as anyone in the 300's so developing that part of my game will just take time no matter where i am
[] 7:54 am: Somdev, are you likely to play at Mumbai & Chennai ATP - either as WC or in qualies ?
[SOMDEV] 7:55 am: jaydeep? mi not sure what you meant. what means im not ready for the tour?
[rsingh123] 7:55 am: somdev,u will certainly be a candidate for atp wc's now (particularly in US and India)...if I were u I would take advantage right away and play in as many of these tournaments as possible...because if (by some chance) you don't win the NCAA next year your name power will be less and you will be less likely to get the WCs
[SOMDEV] 7:55 am: i dont think i can miss so much school to come and play in the qualies. but i would love to play if i got a wc into the maindraw
[] 7:58 am: forget it somdev, i miss read ur post where u mentioned about grind it out ... sorry.
[] 7:58 am: somdev, im just wondering .why might you chose to play a exhibition tournament like this one you mentioned in new york as opposed to an ATP or ITF tournament that would give you ranking points?
[SOMDEV] 7:58 am: i agree with you. rsingh. but that whole thing once again comes down to whether or not i choose to play pro or not. and here theres no right or wrong. I have just chosen the other path. you are completely right though. I will probably get more opportunities coming out as a national champ but i'll miss playing for my team and miss graduation etc....so even though i dont disagree with you i have decided to stay in school
[jayakris] 7:59 am: Exactly Somdev. It seems like everybody needs something like 30-40 odd events and some 100 odd matches on various levels of pro tour (at least 25 each in the futures, challengers and pro levels) before thegame gets fine-tuned to be successful in the top-100. Getting all that and to be in top-150 before you are 25 is a key, because whatever one may consciously tell onself, you start lowering the expectations after age 25 ("may be this all I could get to")...
[SOMDEV] 8:00 am: if you look up the tournament website you might see some of the names in it and then you'll definitely not ask me the same question. just to mention a few, goldstein, delic, gimelstob, fleishman etc..
[] 8:01 am: we really respect ur desire to play for college and win team championship for them ... but still as jay pointed out someone also think of own pro career ...
[SOMDEV] 8:02 am: you are right in a way jay. but i dont feel like that the case for everyone who plays tennis. different players have different expectations. you and i have both seen players kind of give up at around 35 and have also seen plaayers make it big after that. even though the ajority tend to kind of give up hope. I dont see any reason why i should joing that mojority if i ever happen to be in that situation
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[rsingh123] 8:04 am: somdev don't think we r trying to pressure u too much...just trying to ensure that you have considered all angles before going ahead with ur decision...you are a level headed young man and i'm confident you will succeed no matter what path you take!
[SOMDEV] 8:04 am: thanks jaydeep. like i said theres good and bad to both sides. and once again. if i have improved in the last 3 years i really dont see why i should stay on that path for another year knowing that its my senior year and knowing how much i am looking forward to improving and leading my team
[krinix] 8:04 am: Hello everyone and Hi Somi.
[rsingh123] 8:05 am: u meant "shouldn't stay on that path"
[SOMDEV] 8:05 am: thanks a lot rsingh. i dont feel pressured at all. I understand and appreciate the concern people have and i feel talking about things only makes decisions a lot easier. thanks
[jayakris] 8:05 am: Hey, I had to point out, that's all Buji. At your age, players just cannot imagine putting limits on oneself, but things change later. I agree though that mentally and determination-wise you are on a higher level than most players, and so you will stay on the ball longer. Just remember that you will have no time at all to waste after next June and needs to go into that 100-match preperation for top-100 immediately. The first 25 matches will get you inside top-300 and then the grind starts.
[] 8:06 am: ha yeah shouldnt stay on that path
[] 8:07 am: When you turn pro a year later, what level do you hope to be (ranking wise)?
[SOMDEV] 8:07 am: i agree jay and i definitely have a plan for that right now. im hoping the things i am planning will go through smoothly but right now i plan on playing about 25-30 weeks during my first year. I dont want to half ass the effort. I want to put in all i have with no regrets and hope for the best
[] 8:07 am: Somdev, by fine tuning your game some more next year in college, do you think you will to some extent be able to shortcut the adjustment period when it comes in the pros? also, what brand of tennis do you think you are playing right now, if it is equatable (say top300, 200, 100) ?
[] 8:08 am: we all r thinking that playing some futures this year give u cushion of having ranking around top 500 in next june (2008) to get u more option of selecting/entering tournaments on the tour ..
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[SOMDEV] 8:09 am: just going by resluts and the players i have played against i feel like im atleast at the 300 level. Im just going by results of anderson and isner. I would also watch out for players like luigi daggord, todd paul and tons others in the pro circuit. the better college playersusually find ways to translate their gam. they usually never have a hard time announcing themselves on the futures tour
[jayakris] 8:10 am: jaydeep, yes, that is what I was most ocncerned about. Having to spend 2-3 months to get to top-350 NEXT summer (because the easiest challenger entries are in summer and he will miss those next summer while playing the necessary futures).
[] 8:11 am: i agree. having a better ranking only helps you. Hopeflly i'll be atleast 700 or so by the time i finish so i can start off with atleast something. But all that is only for the start. i feel like if i am playing well and im motivated the rankings and results will take care of themselves no matter where i start
[rsingh123] 8:11 am: Somdev,u are at a higher than 300-level...honestly, do u think Rohan Bopanna (who is ranked higher than 300) could have won all the matches you did in a row? No no way...you are top-250 at LEAST
[rsingh123] 8:11 am: u don't have to answer that bopanna question!
[rsingh123] 8:12 am: i'm just saying the answer is no!
[jayakris] 8:12 am: Somdev - I am 100% sure that you are playing top-225 tennis at least right now. That is, if you spend 3-4 months playing some 10 events (5 futures, 5 challengers with qualies etc) at the current level, you will be at least in top-250 right now.
[] 8:12 am: haha yea i agree rsingh and jay...i think bujis being a little modest ;)
[SOMDEV] 8:12 am: i would like to think im playing at a higher level. I was just saying that to be on the safer side. but time will tell what level im playing at. consistency not 1 result here and there usually tell how good a player really is
[Sports-India Chat]: kujoku has entered at 8:13 am
[] 8:14 am: We need you on the Davis Cup team as well. Have you heard from anyone after your NCAA win?
[kujoku] 8:14 am: hi somdev!
[] 8:14 am: so tell me more about ur college training with ur coaches and team-mates? sorry guys for asking different question than important Tour questions ... :)
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[] 8:15 am: Did you get encougement & appreciation from former Indian players after NCAA win ?
[SOMDEV] 8:15 am: davis cupwould be wonderful. i heard the next one is in february. Hopefully i'll get to play. My fingers are crossed
[kujoku] 8:16 am: congratulations on your fine win at the NCAA. we watched it live and were thrilled to see your performance (including the agitated resonse in the second set for a bad line call! :) )
[] 8:16 am: yes somdev ... doesn anyone notice in AITA or our senior players (lee and hesh) ur amazing/great/superb achievement of winning NCAA championship.
[] 8:17 am: i m again going off topic ... Lee's Wimbledon match just begin.
[SOMDEV] 8:18 am: jaydeep: my training is by far many notches above what i expected and what i was getting in india. No disrespect to my coaches in india but after a certain point i felt like i only had so many people to practice with and i found it hard to get motivated. my trainig in school is awesome. My strength and fitness program is the most important i feel and my physical trainer is the best i could ask for. I always have 10+ guys to hit with who are all eager to hit with me and improve the team.
[] 8:18 am: its a great environment to be around for young tennis players. obviously alll school are different but if a junior finds the right place its an unbelievabl experience
[] 8:19 am: Somdev, earlier in the season you lost to Isner a couple of times. How were you able to turn things around on him and beat him twice at the championships? Did your game and confidence improve dramatically over the season? And if so, at what point did you feel a change?
[SOMDEV] 8:19 am: sameer: Yes i got emails and stuff from a bunch of indian players. i think pretty much everyone who is at the top right now with the exception from a few have contacted me to congratulate me. that was awesome
[] 8:20 am: Have you spoken to any of our players about your experience at your school? I heard Sanam may be going to Virginia....
[SOMDEV] 8:21 am: we are eager to have sanam joing us. nothing is official still but hopefully things will go well and soon he'll be a cavalier
[puneets] 8:22 am: Hi Somdev- Came here to wish you good luck and congratulate you on your NCAA victory.
[puneets] 8:22 am: Have added you in my orkut list :)
[kujoku] 8:22 am: well we all know that your focus next year is in school, but what are your plans for the year after in terms a transition into Pros...? hope you are getting the right advice on that...
[] 8:22 am: if that happens then it will be great experiance for Sanam learning with u ... It will definetly help him on longer term from ur experiance and knowledge.
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[SOMDEV] 8:23 am: i just kept on looking for holes in my game and how to imprve my weaknesses and strengths. i always believed i could beat john if i played well. i felt like i got a lot better after i took a few losses against some players this year. I was very motivasted after i lost to luigi in miami and also to poerchke in 3 sets(3rd set breaker). i feel like losing those matches heped me get better
[SOMDEV] 8:23 am: thanks a lot puneet. i rarely check orkut, hi5, or facebook but thanks anywya for the support
[rsingh123] 8:24 am: Somdev...thanks and best of luck!
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[SOMDEV] 8:25 am: kujoku: like i said earlier right now i am planning on playing a full 25-30 weekschedule and continue training in charlottesville after i graduate. i am also planning on travelling with a coach.
[SOMDEV] 8:25 am: thanks rsingh
[] 8:26 am: Somdev, you must be perhaps the first tennis player hailing from North East India to so so well in Tennis. Is your achievment well recognised over there ? If it is, it should encourage other kids from the region to take up the game
[puneets] 8:26 am: I will have to leave now. Next time you are in Champaign ..to play against the Illini, I'll come to the Atkins center and meet you :)
[kujoku] 8:26 am: that is nice. it is important that you have a solid base. I am sure spending the extra year in University will have benefits (tangible and intangible) down the road....
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[Sports-India Chat]: jaydeep has entered at 8:27 am
[jaydeep] 8:28 am: sorry chat window throw me out ... :cry:
[SOMDEV] 8:28 am: im not sure. I have given a few interview here for the papers but im not so sure how much i have single handedly dont anything to tennis here. If i ever made it big though i would love to have an influence on kids not just in the north east but all over india
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[] 8:28 am: thanks punet
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[jaydeep] 8:29 am: here many regional newspapers covered ur story with english daily ...
[] 8:29 am: Somdev, it would be great to meet you when you come to NY as well...
[jayakris] 8:30 am: Buji - Leander has been in touch with you lately? Either he or Mahesh giving you any advice on tour planning from next June (frankly, I am concerned about the 6 months from next June) ..
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[SOMDEV] 8:30 am: jay: unfortunately i havent talked to leander. I have spoken to mahesh and he has been very supportive and encouraging
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[kujoku] 8:31 am: glad to see that you are taking the time to chat with us. appreciate that. we the fans here in Sports-india have high hopes on you (and expectations!) good luck with everything and enjoy your break in India!!
[BSharma] 8:31 am: Hi everyone!!!
[jaydeep] 8:31 am: hurray doc is here .. :kiss:
[gvhvhg] 8:31 am: hello uncle ;)
[] 8:31 am: thanks kukoju
[BSharma] 8:31 am: Hi Somdev and congratulations on your NCAA title
[BSharma] 8:33 am: Is the chat over or is it just starting?
[SOMDEV] 8:34 am: ha im not sure either. im still hanging out incase people have questinos. this is kinda fun
[] 8:35 am: Somdev, are you likely to get WC for US open main draw or at least qualifying ?
[gvhvhg] 8:35 am: somdev i almost applied to uva ;)
[jaydeep] 8:35 am: great .. so whom ur biggest threat next year? andersson or many more?
[BSharma] 8:36 am: Sorry for missing the chat session and I do not want you (Somdev) to repeat everything for me, but I am extremely happy for you and Indian tennis that we have a player like you to take Indian tennis to a higher level
[SOMDEV] 8:36 am: im still not sure about any wildcards yet. My coach and i are still working on it
[SOMDEV] 8:36 am: gvh: uva is a great place to be but im sure you're having a good time too
[kujoku] 8:37 am: and they announce at the US OPen. -- " here is SomDev - NCAA Single Champion!"
[BSharma] 8:37 am: Without trying to repeat what other people may have asked earlier, what areas of the game must you work on to see yourself in the top 100?
[jaydeep] 8:38 am: if wildcard thing happens then that would be great thing for Somdev and definetly for us (fans) ... :D
[kujoku] 8:38 am: that will be exciting... :)
[jayakris] 8:38 am: Argh, Buji... Leander drives me up the wall sometimes. Don't take it seriously. He is like that sometimes :) ... Hopefully he will get up to speed and take you under his wings in Davis Cup soon enough!
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[gvhvhg] 8:39 am: haha
[amr090] 8:39 am: #$%^&* i totally forgot about this #$%^&* chat session
[SOMDEV] 8:39 am: thats a new question. Personally i feel like every thing has to immprove for me to get there. The serve has to keep getting better. explosiveness, strength, fitness, volleys, forehand backhand.. anything i can think of but i think the serve is one of the most important
[kujoku] 8:39 am: yeah "up the wall", then over it, and then into a ditch and so on... ! :D
[amr090] 8:40 am: hey somdev
[BSharma] 8:40 am: Thanks Somdev for your reply
[SOMDEV] 8:40 am: haha im sure its nothing. He has really been busy with his schedule so its hard for people to not understand his perspective. nothing but respect for lee
[amr090] 8:40 am: hey everyone
[BSharma] 8:40 am: Somdev, what help can the Indian tennis fans provide for you?
[SOMDEV] 8:41 am: nothing but support and understand the fact that even if i dont do well it doesnt mean im not putting the effort in.
[jayakris] 8:42 am: We know that Buji. None of us doubt your heart at all!!!!
[SOMDEV] 8:43 am: its a hard world out there for players and at the end of the day i feel like working hard and heart are the only things a player controls
[amr090] 8:43 am: btw are you coming to the Legg Mason this year?:-D
[jayakris] 8:43 am: Somdev, is UVa making a usual California trip this late summer?
[kujoku] 8:43 am: yeah, we will support you even if you are not doing well.
[SOMDEV] 8:43 am: yeah i'll be there for the qualies for sure..
[kujoku] 8:44 am: but you better do well!! :D
[SOMDEV] 8:44 am: im not sure. we'll talk abuot that once i get back to schoool which is in a week
[jaydeep] 8:44 am: that won't happen ... we knows ur quality and ur desire to succeed with giving more than 100% efforts ... so doubting on u never question to us.
[BSharma] 8:44 am: Somdev, the next NCAA Championship is in Tulsa (my home town) and there is also a Tulsa Challenger, and I hope we can meet together for some good home cooked food
[SOMDEV] 8:45 am: ha that sounds like a treat bsharma. i love any food esp home cooked indian food
[jaydeep] 8:45 am: aha unresistable offer from pur doctor uncle ... somdev don't miss that ..
[jaydeep] 8:45 am: pur = our ..
[BSharma] 8:47 am: Harsh Mankad and Sunil missed some home cooked food because my family members got sick when they came to Tulsa, so they had to settle for some Indian, Australian and Italian restaurant food but Mrs MMS should be able to cook some great food for you
[BSharma] 8:47 am: MRS MMS=Mrs BBS before she kills me
[gvhvhg] 8:48 am: Mother of gvhvhg has provided the likes of Prakash Amritraj and Harsh Mankad with homecooked food in new york
[gvhvhg] 8:48 am: so wherever you go Somdev, theres always a home cooked meal for you
[jaydeep] 8:48 am: Somdev, hows ur study going on?
[jayakris] 8:48 am: Mrs.MMS cooks, Somdev eats, Somdev cooks on court, Somdev eats up the NCAA field. Sounds like a plan :)
[amr090] 8:49 am: are you going to ask for a wc to legg mason?
amr090] 8:49 am: theres a good shot of you getting it maybe with the local ties you played gambill decently i think last yr
[gvhvhg] 8:51 am: Somdev do you feel like youd be getting more opportunites right now as NCAA champion if you were american?
[BSharma] 8:51 am: Thanks Somdev, Jay and rest of the folks -- I need to go and see some more patients. See you all.
[kujoku] 8:52 am: bye doc
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[kujoku] 8:54 am: Somdev, here is hoping that you make your Davis Cup debut for India soon. no more visa problems or other travel problems. 3rd time is the charm! :in:
[SOMDEV] 8:54 am: yeah more opportunty if i was american
[jayakris] 8:54 am: Somdev was in LA attending our malayali Onam function 3-4 years back .. Big feast on banana leaves and all.. You should come again this year!
[jayakris] 8:55 am: Actually at the LA Onam, we needed somebody strong at the door to keep out those trying to sneak into the feast without buying tickets. Somdev was the doorman for us!!!
[SOMDEV] 8:56 am: one sec brb
[] 8:57 am: hello hello
[jayakris] 8:57 am: yes yes
[jayakris] 8:59 am: Shouldn't we ask Somi some important questions, folks? .. Like, how his life is in UVa - you know, "significant other" and all :) ..
[] 8:59 am: Yeah, other burning questions :)
[jaydeep] 8:59 am: hee ... hee ... sure
[jayakris] 9:00 am: Defeaning silence from Somi ...
[amr090] 9:00 am: hes going to go with 'no comment'
[amr090] 9:00 am: im telling you
[amr090] 9:01 am: 5 bucks says no comment
[SOMDEV] 9:02 am: brb
[jayakris] 9:02 am: D A M N .. I needed to badly know who is playing AD court with him in mixed doubles :)
[jaydeep] 9:02 am: no he takes challenge on face so he will answer our questions ... :evil:
[amr090] 9:03 am: haha i can tell you who hes playing mixed doubles with that easy
[jayakris] 9:03 am: What happened PK Basu? I thought he was going to be here from Singapore.
[jaydeep] 9:04 am: must be busy with some work or travelling .. otherwise he will never miss such opportunity.
[jaydeep] 9:04 am: hurray lee and amrtin won first set in tie break 76(4)
[jayakris] 9:05 am: Cool .. come on Lee.
[] 9:05 am: Or maybe busy watching Ganguli & Sachin bat .
[kujoku] 9:05 am: yeah what about those spicy stuff from Sondev?
[kujoku] 9:05 am: Somdev. any one ask any qns at all so far?
[jayakris] 9:05 am: Ah, I forgot that PKB may be watching cricket. He needs to change his priorities ..
[kujoku] 9:06 am: are you off the bug game now Jay?
[kujoku] 9:06 am: just during the WC you were all worked up...
[SOMDEV] 9:06 am: ssorry guys im back
[amr090] 9:07 am: is anyone taking me up on the 5 bucks
[amr090] 9:07 am: ?
[jaydeep] 9:07 am: so now answer our all questions ... :roll:
[SOMDEV] 9:08 am: the only ones i see while i was gone was about any significant other. well i dont have a girlfriend at the moment.
[amr090] 9:09 am: as in just one ?
[amr090] 9:09 am: haha jk jk
[jayakris] 9:09 am: Arun - you lost your bet!!!! .. He took the question head on :)
[amr090] 9:10 am: he probly read what i wrote the clown
[jayakris] 9:10 am: Somdev - back to tennis, will you get help from the US "friends" for the pro tour after next June (and for how long)? ..
[jayakris] 9:12 am: That would be importnat. You will need a minimum $20K to get going (hopefully AITA can get GOI to support with some $10K or more too?) ..
[SOMDEV] 9:13 am: everything i sup in the air right now. nothng is a certainty. I am very optimistic about getting funds for my tennis for atleast 3 years
[jaydeep] 9:14 am: thats really good and positive news ...
[] 9:16 am: Somdev, do you read the sports-india forums ? You can read some of it when you have time although you may find some of our comments amusing :)
[SOMDEV] 9:16 am: i dont read it too often. My mum reads it a lot though and enjoys it. i glance at it every now and then
[jayakris] 9:16 am: That is good. Don't count on anything more than a year or two at most though. The "friends" lose interest after that, sometimes. You should talk to AITA soon and get the GOI money in hand ..
[SOMDEV] 9:17 am: yeah i'll see what i can do.
[amr090] 9:17 am: yeah the 'boosters' are only interested when things are going well
[SOMDEV] 9:17 am: 5 more mins till dinner time for me guys
[jayakris] 9:17 am: Oh yeah .. You won't believe the pages and pages we have written on you in the forum.
[amr090] 9:17 am: id say the 3 years is guaranteed if youre making marked progress every year
[amr090] 9:17 am: in which case you wont need much help anyways
[amr090] 9:18 am: from anybody
[SOMDEV] 9:19 am: hopefully not
[jaydeep] 9:19 am: intially they r supporting is big thing but Bhuji also seriously think of asking GOI money from AITA as Jay mentioned ...
[] 9:19 am: Yeah there have been articles in newspapers abt AITA getting support from Corporates & Govt. & giving grant to specific players of late
[jayakris] 9:20 am: exactly, arun. He needs the initial $25K (may be $50K if that can be worked out) but then he will be making enough to survive, and once he is inside top-250 he will have enough to manage a coach too (though paying a full-time coch is possible only once you are inside top-125)
[jayakris] 9:20 am: Do those numbers look reasonable, Somdev? You think you can pull that off?
[SOMDEV] 9:21 am: personally i think i can pull of atleast that much
[jaydeep] 9:22 am: great positive vibes from Buji ..
[jayakris] 9:22 am: OK, then you are in good shape. Harsh came out with just about a $10K from AITA and actually survived.
[Sports-India Chat]: BSharma has entered at 9:22 am
[BSharma] 9:22 am: Hi. I am back.
[jayakris] 9:23 am: I think he needs to eat dinner .. So, any final "burning" questions, guys - shoot now! .. we will shut it down in 5 min...
[BSharma] 9:24 am: What's you talking, Jay? I thought Somdev cooks on the court and eats up his opposition.
[] 9:24 am: There are corporates in India too who support games other cricket these days if they see talent coming thru. E..g. some support from Karan from a corporate. You can try out that route as well.
[jayakris] 9:24 am: He is in Agartala right now and the only opposition he can eat may be mosquitos :)
[SOMDEV] 9:24 am: ha im actually in gauhati till i leave
[SOMDEV] 9:25 am: but anyways guys i think i have to go now
[amr090] 9:25 am: haha i dont think u guys need to worry about fundign for him, everyone loves him at uva
[jayakris] 9:25 am: OK, then Guwahateeya Mosquitos :)
[amr090] 9:25 am: he should be fine initially
[BSharma] 9:25 am: Bye Somdev and a big thanks to you and Jay.
[gvhvhg] 9:25 am: thanks somdev!
[gvhvhg] 9:25 am: good luck
[jaydeep] 9:25 am: frankly somdev leisurly talk with us for 2 hrs ... thats really great gesture from him giving us this opportunity ... and listened our amusing (stupid) quotes ..
[SOMDEV] 9:25 am: thanks for all the support and stuff. this was a lot of fun
[amr090] 9:25 am: alrite guys im out too, somedev holler at me when you come to dc
[jaydeep] 9:25 am: good luck and hopefully see u in near future.
[jayakris] 9:26 am: We will do more Somdev. If you make it to main draw and go two rounds at Legg mason, a chat session will be instantly organized!
[SOMDEV] 9:27 am: haha alright sounds good. bye guys, good night
[Sports-India Chat]: amr090 has left at 9:27 am
[jaydeep] 9:27 am: good night
[Sports-India Chat]: has left at 9:28 am
[jayakris] 9:28 am: Bye everybody, and thanks Somdev Kishore "Buji" "Somi" DevVarman .. The chat session is now closed. Good bye and thanks!
[jaydeep] 9:28 am: and now special thankis to jay for organising such beautiful event ..
[jaydeep] 9:28 am: thanks jay from bottom of my heart for giving this opportunity to us ...