The tranquil of a quiet Sunday afternoon was disturbed as Rafael Nadal whistled down a ripping forehand at Nicholas Mahut, his training partner for the day. It was a sign of things to come; for the next seven days the Nungambakkam stadium, empty now, will come to life when Nadal and his tour mates take center stage.
The 11th edition of the Chennai Open has more spunk and sparkle with two of the top-ten players -- Nadal and David Nalbandian -- gracing the tournament. Both men are known for their brand of relentless tennis, and what has become one of the biggest recognitions in men's tennis have beaten or seemed the closest to beat Roger Federer.
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Nadal was the only player last year to beat Federer more than once he won four finals against the Swiss -- while Nalbandian somewhat made up for the lack of Grand Slams with a five-set win over the world No 1 last November.
The Spaniard, top seeded in the singles, will be in action immediately as he, and fellow-Mallorcan Bartolome Salva-Vidal take on defending champions Michal Mertinak and Petr Pala in the doubles first round on Monday.
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Nadal and Nalbandian are the latest on the marquee in Chennai, and joining them will be the perpetual crowd favourites Carlos Moya and Paradorn Srichaphan. With none of the Indians, save Leander Paes in 1998, getting past the second round in Chennai, the crowds, bereft of a local hero, have adopted Moya and Srichaphan for all the adulation.
And the duo have also reciprocated with some scintillating tennis. Moya won two titles in Chennai and finished runner-up to Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic last year, while the Thai made it to the final thrice in a row from 2003.
Though the singles field is the most impressive, there is a big void in the doubles draw, with both Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi giving the tournament a miss. Paes, who won two gold medals at the recent Asian Games, has opted to play in Doha while Bhupathi pulled out due to an injury.
It was this tournament, then known as the Gold Flake Open, that set the ball rolling for the 'Indian Express'. Already a potent Davis Cup team, Lee-Hesh became a force to reckon with on the tour since they won their first title at the Gold Flake Open in 1997. The Indian pair was crowned champions for three years in succession and turned on their magic again in 2002, when they returned as a team after an ugly split.
In the absence of Paes or Bhupathi, Indian chances at the Open don't look too bright.
Wildcard entrants Vishal Uppal and Ashutosh Singh will begin the proceedings on Monday, when they face Tomas Behrend of Germany and Czech Robin Vik in the doubles first round.
With none of the Indians making it through the singles qualifiers, hopes once again rest on wild cards Prakash Amritraj and Karan Rastogi.
Amritraj has been drawn with the 6'10" Croat Ivo Karlovic in the first round, which will take place on Monday, while Rastogi starts his campaign against Brazil's Thiago Alves. Amritraj, who was sidelined with a wrist injury for half of last year, hasn't made an encouraging comeback; he lost in the first round of the ITF Futures in Delhi last week.
Monday's schedule:
Centre Court (starting at 1700 IST)
Ashutosh Singh/Vishal Uppal (India) vs Tomas Behrend (Ger)/ Robin Vik (Cze)
Rafael Nadal-Bartolome Salva-Vidal vs Michal Mertinak/Petr Pala (Cze)
Ivo Karlovic (Cro) vs Prakash Amritraj (India)
Xavier Malisse (Bel) vs Danai Udomchoke (Tha)
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