I will get married by the end of this year: Saketh

Even before the Indians squared off on the court it was love-all as the lanky Saketh proposed marriage to his girlfriend Sri Lakshmi Anumolu during the official Davis Cup dinner, to which the UPSC aspirant agreed in the affirmative. 

Paes had later described the incident as the first marriage proposal witnessed by him during the Davis Cup. Speaking to DT Next, Saketh said the move wasn’t preplanned. “I just thought I could propose and I did. I wanted to do it and it felt pretty good. I didn’t expect an immediate response. It was fun,” Saketh said before rushing to a practise session. 

Having got a ‘yes’ as a response, Saketh said marriage would be on the cards soon. “We haven’t thought about the dates as yet. We hope to get married by the end of this year,” the 28-year-old said.

Up against the likes of Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer, Saketh hopes India would put up a good show against the powerhouses. “No doubt, it would be a tough outing for us. There is a lot to learn from these legends of the game. We are all pumped up for it and hope we can pull off a decent outing,” he said adding that it was a great feeling to meet the legends (Nadal and Ferrer) and exchange pleasantries with them. 

The 119-ranked Saketh made his Grand Slam debut at the recently-concluded US Open, making the main draw through the rigours of qualifiers. The 28-year-old suffered a tough first-round loss to Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic, holding a lead in the fifth set before cramps struck and he he lost 7-5 in the fifth. 

Saketh will be a busy man as he will be seen in action on all the three days. 

Saketh will square off against David Ferrer in the second singles match on Friday. The big serving player will also be in action on Saturday in the doubles tie with Leander Paes and will take on Nadal (if needed) in the reverse singles on Sunday.