BENGALURU: For a player once tipped to be among India's finest singles exponents, Yuki Bhambri's career arc has followed an unexpected but instructive path.
Injuries stalled his singles rise soon after he broke into the ATP top-100, sponsorship uncertainty compounded the challenges, and the promise many saw remained largely unfulfilled in that format.
Yet, at 30-something, Bhambri finds himself in the middle of the most productive phase of his professional life as India's leading doubles player.
In the last 18 months he won four ATP titles, made a Grand Slam semifinal and is a case study of what structured support can do to elite talent.
In a candid conversation with PTI, Bhambri pushed back against the idea that doubles is merely a consolation act, reflected on whether his singles career could have been different, and cautioned that India risks falling further behind countries like China and Japan unless systemic changes are implemented sooner rather than later.
In a sport where singles format commands the spotlight, Bhambri is firm that doubles must stop being treated as a "fall-back" or a sideshow.
"When we grow up, everyone wants to be a singles Grand Slam champion, there's no denying that. That was my dream too," Bhambri said ahead of the Davis Cup tie against the Netherlands.
"But doubles exists because there is a market for it, people want to watch it, and excellence is required to succeed in it."
Drawing a comparison with cricket's multiple formats, Bhambri argues that tennis, too, should embrace plurality.
"Cricket celebrates Test specialists, ODI players and T20 stars. Tennis has singles and doubles. It's the same sport, just a different format. One format shouldn't be disrespected because the other exists."
For Bhambri, the appeal of doubles lies not in compromise but in competitive opportunity.
"In doubles, I walk into every tournament believing I can win the title, whether it's an ATP 500, a Masters or a Grand Slam. That expectation didn't always exist for me in singles, especially at the bigger events," said Bhambri who is now enjoying a career-best doubles rank of 20 in the world.
Bhambri's four ATP titles -- the biggest being the ATP 500 Dubai Championships last year -- and deeper Grand Slam runs, have coincided with the launch of the 'Doubles Dream Project', an initiative that provides India's top doubles players access to international coaching, trainers, analytics and logistical backing.
"The biggest change in my career has been the support structure. For the first time, all I had to do was focus on tennis."
The arrival of former world No.1 doubles player Raven Klaasen as a travelling coach, through Rohan Bopanna's project, proved transformative.
"There was no trial and error anymore. You were shown clearly how doubles is supposed to be played...the movement, the positioning, patterns, accountability. When you follow that structure, results follow."
Bhambri pointed to the broader impact on Indian doubles players over the same period as evidence.
"In a short span, you saw different Indians winning ATP titles across the world. That doesn't happen randomly. Imagine what could happen if this kind of structure was implemented across the system."
It has been a never-ending debate in the country's tennis whether Indians peak late. After all, the results suggest so. Bhambri, at 33, has his take.
"We do peak late, but the reasoning in my opinion is that I think we understand the game late, the knowledge that we get is late.
"It's not that we Indians don't work hard. We are the hardest workers in the world in any field, whether it is sports, or jobs. Even the Indian kids work extremely hard.
"We just don't have access to what is required to be a world-class champion."
The conversation inevitably turns to the question Indian tennis followers have debated for years: could Bhambri's singles career have unfolded differently?
"Maybe," he admits. "Injuries played a big role, but proper guidance also helps in preventing injuries and managing careers better."
"For the first time in the last 18 months, there were no problems, no confusion. Everything was taken care of. The results are there for everyone to see."
Bhambri does not dwell on regret, but the implication is clear: elite talent needs elite systems.
Bhambri says India is already playing catch-up with Asian rivals who have invested heavily in structured development.
"When I first went to China years ago, their men's tennis wasn't strong. Today, they have Grand Slam performers, Olympic champions, and multiple top-200 players in both men's and women's tennis."
Japan, he adds, has long had a steady pipeline of professionals, while China's rise over the past decade has been rapid and deliberate.
"They brought in foreign coaches, educated local coaches, used former players, and created a proper structure. India has the resources, but we need collective commitment."
Japan has five players in the top-200 in both men's and women's singles while China has three men's singles players in the ATP chart and six in WTA rankings, led by Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng.
He felt, like many others, that state associations need to do more.
"If their votes depend on it, their lives depend on it, the needle could move a little bit more. And, like I said, no one's questioning their ability, but the results are not really there.
"That doesn't mean that everybody hosts an ATP event. They can start their level from Futures, from Under-14 events, from Under-18 events, from hosting Nationals, even that, good grassroots level."
Bhambri does not shy away from the question of unfulfilled promise.
"In 2018, I genuinely felt I could break into the top 50. I had momentum and belief. Athletes are rarely satisfied. If I had reached 45, I would think I could reach 30. If 30, then 10. That hunger never ends."
What matters, he says, is peace with effort.
"I know I gave everything I had."
With multiple Indian greats -- Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna -- having won Grand Slam titles, Bhambri was asked whether his career would feel incomplete without one.
"I honestly don't know. I want to win one. I'm working towards it. I believe it's possible."
But he is realistic about how satisfaction works in sport.
"Even if I win one, I don't know if that feeling of 'completeness' will come. Athletes always feel they could do more."
Asked about the petition filed by Somdev Devvarman and Purav Raja challenging governance and functioning of the All India Tennis Association (AITA), Bhambri says its intent was reform, not confrontation.
"The idea was to shake the system. I don't think anyone thought it would get stuck for this long."