Goal is to do well at Australian Open, says Divij Sharan

Divij was happy to have Dale as coach for first Grand Slam of the season

There was no action at Melbourne Park, hosting six men’s and women’s tournaments simultaneously across the 18 courts. But, Divij Sharan had no complaints. He did not have to take a COVID-19 test and could go out and train for two hours.

It was different for the 600 players, coaches and family members who were tested as the stayed in a hotel, which had a positive result.

Zero cases

“Zero cases in Victoria for almost a month,” said Divij, who had won his first round of doubles with Igor Zelenay of Slovakia on Tuesday.

“Tomorrow we are scheduled to play the sixth match on the court. The forecast is rain all day,” said Divij.

The uncertainty apart, it has been good training for Divij with Igor with whom he had won the ATP Tour title in St. Petersburg in 2019.

“We have put in the hours the last couple of weeks and are working towards getting match sharp. Our goal is to do well at the Australian Open which should then set us up for the rest of the year,” he said.

It was a good return to the circuit, with a win.

“We were a bit rusty in the first round but came through in the match tie-break. It keeps us in contention to go deep into the tournament,” said Divij.

After having competed without a coach or trainer last year, Divij was happy to have Paul Dale with him as coach for the first Grand Slam of the season.

“I have worked with Paul earlier. I keep in touch with him. I am really happy to have him here. We have been working hard on my game through the two weeks of quarantine,” said Divij.

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