Ramkumar Ramanathan has broken new ground in Florida, reaching his first ATP Challenger Tour final at the $75,000 event in Tallahassee with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 victory over Andrea Arnaboldi.
The top-ranked Indian navigated past fourth seed Guido Andreozzi and fifth seed Peter Polansky en route to the silverware showdown against qualifier Blaz Rola.
“I think all the work I’ve put in on the practice courts has helped me and with God’s blessing I’m so happy to reach my first final,” said Ramanathan. “All the support from the Indian people here has really helped me. I’m just going to enjoy this moment and keeping going.”
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He is based between Chennai at the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA) and the renowned Sanchez-Casal Academy in Barcelona, which has developed the likes of World No. 1 Andy Murray and Grigor Dimitrov.
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“I’ve been working really hard for the last couple of years in Barcelona, I’ve been there on and off for six years,” added Ramanathan, who unwinds from tennis by reading or playing online poker. “Sometimes I have been offered free training in their academy and I’ve also had tremendous help from my home federation.
“Nothing major has changed. I need to keep my body in shape and do plenty of injury prevention. I’ve been fighting as usual, playing a lot of tournaments, and it’s paying off.”
Ramanathan is keen to acknowledge all of those involved in his progress, but also credits his relentless work ethic for reaching his ATP Challenger Tour milestone.
“Of course it gives me a lot of motivation moving forward, it will make me work even harder,” insisted Ramanathan. “I must try try to avoid injury and to keep competing. My coaches Juan Balcells and Sergio Casal give me a lot of belief, saying that I have the game. I have done well to reach where I am now, but there is a long way to go. I will keep working hard and stay focused.”