Amidst the sweat on James Duckworth’s face, due to the effort on centre court at the KPIT MSLTA Pune Challenger Series, flowed tears of joy at clinching matchpoint after three sets against Jay Clark in the men’s singles final. He crumbled on court, lay on his back for a while and kicked the air with his legs in instinctive celebration. For a pro on the verge of giving up playing tennis due to repeated surgeries following shoulder, elbow and foot injuries, the delight of entry into a Grand Slam event was overwhelming. EmotionsHe explained: “I was in the top 100 in 2015 and part of the time I was injured till 2017. I hope Federer just doesn’t retire..” said Duckworth at the Balewadi sports complex.

Source: The Hindu November 18, 2019 14:06 UTC