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Tag: rohit rajpal

  • Reviving a dying artwork of contact play

    At the pre-draw press convention for the Davis Cup tie between India and Denmark, the 2 captains eulogised a dying artwork. Against the backdrop of the well-maintained grass courts on the Delhi Gymkhana Club, Denmark’s Frederik Nielsen and India’s non-playing captain Rohit Rajpal spoke of the shortage of serve and volley in fashionable tennis. The acquainted lament got here with the hope that the tactic could come to the fore on the “old school grass” within the Capital.

    “If you watch the Australian Open, the French Open, the US Open or Wimbledon, it all looks pretty much the same,” mentioned Nielsen. “You can play the same tennis on every surface these days. Even me as a coach or as a captain, it’s tough to encourage serve and volley because the conditions are so clean for returners.”

    Nielsen, who gained the doubles crown at 2012 Wimbledon as a wildcard, elaborated how neither the situations nor gear is conducive to dashing to the online and killing off factors.

    “The balls are too big, they’re too slow. The conditions are too slow. The equipment is too good. The racquets are too good, the strings are too good,” Nielsen rattled away. “It’s too easy to return and hit passing shots and you don’t get enough benefit out of serve-and-volley these days. The players can hit the returns as big as they want and neutralise the server. So it encourages baseline players.”

    Rajpal, who acknowledged residence area provides a bonus in Davis Cup “unless they have a Federer or Nadal”, agreed on the fading relevance of serve and volley.

    “Overall, the art of serve and volley is dying down since most of the tournaments around the world are on hard and clay,” says Rajpal. “The coaches are developing strong, athletic, stroking machines. These guys run down everything and hit the ball back very hard. The touch is gone. It is sad as that is the craft that you saw from a lot of Indian players. But over here, you’re gonna see a lot of serve and volley, at least from our side.”

    Old-school grass

    By selecting grass, the hosts are banking on Denmark’s common unfamiliarity with the floor, and the presence of serve-and-volleyers within the Indian contingent, mainly Ramkumar Ramanathan. The 27-year-old — whose solely singles closing on the ATP Tour got here on the Newport grasscourts in 2018 — volleys, chips and expenses whatever the floor.

    “Grass is my favourite surface, as the ball keeps low and I serve and volley a lot,” Ramkumar tells The Indian Express. “I try to come in on the returns and put a lot of pressure. So it’s perfect conditions for us. The grass at the Delhi Gymkhana is great. Stays low, it’s quick, it goes through, the slice works.”

    Nielsen calls it “old school grass”.

    “It’s a little more old school grass, in the sense that it plays pretty fast with the serve. Unlike Wimbledon in recent years, this is not really suited for rallies. It being a little more old school might add an element of randomness to the proceedings,” mentioned Nielsen.

    The 38-year-old conceded that Denmark have been the underdogs — “it’s needless to say that we need to cause some upsets to win this tie” — however Nielsen is completely satisfied on the prospect of witnessing some serve and volley motion.

    “It’s encouraging to see a few more guys play serve and volley. I watched Ramanathan play a lot of serve and volley at Adelaide. So there’s obviously a case for it if you can be effective doing that at a high quality. But like I said, it would be more of an exception than the rule.”

    With a seating capability for 3800 and “no priced tickets’’, these on the town would additionally do effectively to catch a dying artwork hopefully come alive this Friday and Saturday.

  • Davis Cup skipper Rajpal survives COVID-19 battle, recollects journey to “hell” and again

    Sucking air with monumental issue on the night of May 2, India’s Davis Cup captain Rohit Rajpal requested his brother to right away assemble the entire household exterior his room in order that he may see his family members for one final time.
    Rajpal’s youthful brother Rahul, pleaded him, “don’t give up”.
    For 48 hours, he and his household had struggled, actually begged for a mattress with oxygen however all their pleas have been refused politely.
    Ever since his home assist Birju died of the dreaded COVID-19 on April 28, Rajpal knew that he and his household have been in danger for the reason that deceased was involved with them.
    On April 25, the 50-year-old obtained affirmation that he too has contracted the illness. He first obtained fever which was manageable however little did he know that in few days, he can be ‘face to face’ with dying.
    Calls to influential individuals, together with at the very least 5 chairmen and homeowners of huge hospitals in Delhi and Gurugram, didn’t end in any aid. No mattress with oxygen was out there since hospitals have been full with comparable sufferers.
    Desperate makes an attempt to get the anti-viral injection Remdesivir additionally fell flat and if in any respect somebody was keen to provide, the quote given to the household for one injection was Rs 60,000 as towards the unique Rs 3000.
    Slapped with merciless actuality of the occasions, the person, who’s a BJP state government, President of DLTA, treasurer of AITA and has monetary belongings price just a few hundred crores, realised that life really hangs on a slender thread.
    No connection, energy or cash may lend him just a few breaths.

    India’s Davis Cup captain @RohitRajpal_BJP realised that neither his immense wealth nor connections have been of any assist when he was head to head with dying after contracting COVID-19.He tells me his horror story.https://t.co/Bs2hSthuov pic.twitter.com/hwUAu7ajWV
    — Amanpreet Singh (@amanthejourno) May 22, 2021
    Then a miraculous name got here from his state BJP colleague Satish Upadhyay.
    “The phone was on speaker mode. I was listening when Satish bhai was shouting that I must reach National Heart Institute in East of Kailash, finally a bed was arranged. But I realised that I could not walk, there was no air in my lungs and no energy in body to walk out of my room,” Rajpal recounts.
    A fleet of luxurious vehicles in his sprawling three-acre farm home was of no use. He wanted a automobile fitted with oxygen cylinder.
    “Reaching hospital was tough without oxygen. My brother finally managed a small ambulance in which we placed a dirty, rusty cylinder which could infuse a few more breaths in my feeble body.”
    By that point, Rajpal’s ex brother-in-law and Bollywood actor Fardeen Khan, who was in Mumbai, had organized a vial of Remdesivir. But Rajpal didn’t carry them to hospital, fearing that his father, Ramesh would additionally want the essential medication.
    “I was more worried about my father. But my friend Dr Shamsher Dwivedi (VIMHANS Chairman) warned me that If I won’t take those injections, I won’t survive more than a few hours since it was a very aggressive strain. He promised that he will arrange something for my dad also but I must take those injection right away,” he mentioned.
    “Eventually Dr Anil Jain (AITA President) arranged a vial for my father also.”
    Rajpal says the times he spent within the hospital was a humbling expertise.
    “So many people died. There was not enough oxygen for all. It was hell. I think my father and I must have done some good deeds that we both survived,” he mentioned.
    “Hats off to doctors, nurses and attendants. They risked their lives to save us. They kept assuring me that we will be alright, kept me motivated.”
    Rajpal mentioned these 11 days within the hospital taught him that the privileged individuals like him take ‘simple pleasure of life’ as a right.
    In his obsession to handle and develop the clothes enterprise empire created by his father, Rajpal mentioned he had forgotton easy classes of life.
    “My life moved earlier than my eyes, scene by scene like a film. You received’t consider after years I ate meals with ‘sukoon’ (peace). I had even forgotton how a meal tastes. I savoured a humble dal-roti just like the tastiest meals on planet.
    “For as soon as I used to be not excited about back-to-back conferences. We take easy pleasures as a right.
    “I am by God’s grace a privileged one. I was in habit of helping others all my life but I could not help Birju (his domestic help). He died.”
    He says it was one of many main setbacks in his life.
    “I could not arrange a bed for him. I don’t know how I will face his wife and kids. Never ever in my life I felt so helpless,” his voice had dejection.
    “My sincerest condolences to all who have lost their loved ones. If this happens to me, I can’t imagine what a common man would have been facing.”
    Now that he has obtained a second life, Rajpal mentioned he’ll be sure that he makes it significant.
    “We are running after unnecessary and irrelevant things in life and often forget the big picture in life that it’s very short and must be lived to fullest with people you care about,” he concluded on a philosophical be aware.