Yuki Bhambri secured his first ATP World Tour title by winning the doubles trophy at the Majorca Championship with his South African partner Lloyd Harris on Saturday.
The Indo-South African pair defeated the Dutch-Austrian pairing of Robin Hasse and Philipp Oswald 6-3, 6-4 in the final of the grass-court event, their last before the Wimbledon Championships. The 30-year-old Indian finished the match with a forehand winner between two opposition players on the court and raised his arms in celebration.
Bhambri, ranked 75th, will move up to a career-best 58th place after this victory as he has given himself an early birthday present. With a singles career marred by injury, Bhambri switched to doubles on tour to extend his tennis career.
What does Yuki Bhambri say about this?
“First ATP title, definitely a dream. When you grow up, you dream of competing in big events. Since I switched to doubles last year, it’s been a tough but very rewarding journey. I am happy that the hard work I have been doing for the last year and a half is finally paying off,” Bhambri said after the win.
Therefore, the 30-year-old former world number 83 in singles has revived his injury-hit career by switching to doubles and playing regularly with compatriot Saketh Myneni over the past year and a half. Since then, the pair have won seven titles on the second-tier Challenger Tour, one of which came in Mallorca last August.
Other Details!
Therefore, Bhambri and Myneni are helped by the ‘Doubles Dream of India’ program initiated earlier this year, providing financial support to ATP Top 200 ranked Indian men. Yuki Bhambri revealed that, without the help of the doubles program, where we have physiotherapists and trainers traveling with them almost every two weeks, this would not have been possible.
On the other side, with Myneni deciding to take a week off before Wimbledon, Bhambri had to find a different partner. Bhambri said that it was great fun playing with Lloyd after being matched up at the last minute. He’s also been on fire with his singles this whole week. A great friend and a great partner.
The 26-year-old Harris lost to eventual champion Christopher Eubank in the singles semifinals despite holding five match points. However, with Bhambri, he also won his first ATP title. The Bhambri-Myneni pair sit sixth on the substitutes’ list at this year’s Wimbledon, which begins on Monday. Although he played primarily with her compatriot Saketh Myneni, he has won two Challenger titles this season: Nonthaburi and Girona.