Gilles Simon is one of the bigger names participating in this year’s Tata Open Maharashtra. The world No. 89 is expected to rejuvenate his form at the tournament after having gone through a difficult last season. The 33-year-old took to the court here today at the Mhalunge Balewadi Stadium to complete his first practice session in India.
The 33-year-old pro has developed a reputation for himself after having won a total of 12 singles career titles. However, the experienced player had a tough season in 2017 as he dropped in the rankings from being ranked 25th (Jan 1 2017) in the world to 89th (as of today). But the Frenchman isn’t bogged down by the disappointing season and is back to starting a new season with a rejuvenated form.
Tata Open Maharashtra is going to be the first tournament that Simon will be playing in 2019 and he is excited with the prospect of playing in India for the first time. “I did not have a good season last year but I am now fresh and raring to go here in Pune. This is the first time I will be playing in India, usually I started my season in Australia but have now decided to play in India and I am looking forward to performing well,” said Simon.
Speaking on his chances to win the singles at Tata Open Maharashtra, Simon said that he is very confident that he can do well against the top players here. “I have won a total of 12 ATP 250 World Tour events in my career and I will aim to do my best here in Pune as well. There are a lot of good players participating here but I am confident that if I perform up to my full potential, I can beat the best in the world,” said the Frenchman.
Tata Open Maharashtra gets underway on 30th December 2017 when the qualifiers will take place on the first two days to determine the last four entrants into the Tata Open Maharashtra. The main draw will start from 1st January 2018 with the final taking place on 6th January 2018.
Tata Open Maharashtra is an ATP World Tour 250 series event hosted by Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) in association with Govt. of Maharashtra, Department of Sports and Youth Services, Govt. of Maharashtra and promoted by IMG-Reliance. The tournament will be played at Mhalunge Balewadi Stadium, Pune from January 1st to 6th 2018. For the last 21 years, the tournament was played in Chennai and was better known as Chennai Open.