'Djokovic is going to lead for the next two-three years'

At 32, Tommy Robredo can put any young 20-year-old tennis player to shame in a contest of desire, determination and fitness. No wonder then that he still has it in him to beat World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in straight sets, still has it in him to produce with Andy Murray two of the most dramatic and gruelling finals on the ATP World Tour in Shenzhen and Valencia (remember the finger salute?), and still has it in him to rise to No. 17 in the rankings from outside the top 100 in February last year.

Mind you, the ever-hungry Robredo recorded more than 40 wins in a season for the first time since 2009, and also claimed his 500th career victory this year, making him only the seventh active player on the ATP World Tour to join the club. Not for nothing is he known as the Spanish warhorse. And he puts his impressive year in perspective quite simply.

"Obviously, when you're No. 17 in the world, it's a great year, no? In the beginning, it wasn't that good, maybe. But from the middle and towards the end, it was really great," Robredo told dna on Sunday, hours before stepping on to the court to play for Mumbai in the ongoing Champions Tennis League.

It hasn't been always this rosy, though. Robredo was sidelined for around 14 months in 2011-12 due to a knee injury. His rankings fell to as low as 471 (in May 2012). At 30, any other player would've given up the hope of playing a sport like tennis professionally again. But not Robredo, who only became more resilient. How tough was it to make a resurgence at 30?

"Well, it was very difficult, especially since I didn't know whether or not I would recover from the injury. But I did it, no? Then I started playing the small tournaments, just enjoying, trying to fight, fight and fight. Half a year later on, I wasn't able to play my best tennis. I was playing, but I wasn't feeling that good. I wasn't hitting the ball perfectly. Then I won in Casablanca (in April 2013). It was there that I really started to play at a great level. Since then, it's been all good," he said.

It indeed has. Not only did he break into the top 100 in 2013, but he also is now sitting at No. 17 in the rankings. Robredo is only one of the few to have beaten Djokovic this year, a 7-6(6) 7-5 victory in Cincinnati. What did it take to beat a man considered in his prime?

"Well, you have to have a good day, and he has to have a bad day! I think both things happened, and I was able to beat him. So I'm very happy!" he said. Rafael Nadal might be his compatriot and Roger Federer might be his favourite, but Robredo reckons it'll be the time of the Serb to rule the tennis world for the next couple of years.

"I think Djokovic is going to lead for the next two-three years, maybe. And then, we'll see which one is going to come. (Grigor) Dimitrov, (Milos) Raonic, guys like these, but we'll have to see which one," he said. What about himself? After 16 years of playing the sport at the top level, what keeps him going even now? "My motivation is trying to be better and better, and trying to win as many matches as possible. I know, I'm 32, but I'm still OK physically. So, hopefully I can keep going like this, because I love doing what I do. I'm not looking at anyone other than just myself. I want to keep playing as long as possible," he said.

Robredo, who started playing tennis at five and turned pro in 1998, rose to the top pretty quickly. He reached fifth in the world rankings in 2006, but couldn't quite sustain that level in the years to come.

"Well, it's not easy. I was able to be No. 5 in the world for a couple of weeks, then I went back to No. 6-7, and then back to No. 5 for a couple of weeks. I finished in the top 10 for two years, which is amazing. It's not that easy. Anyway, I had the chance to say that I did that, no? So I'm happy about it. And why not! We're all fighting to be right there one day," he said. 

What changes does he see in the sport over the years?
"It's become more physical now. Players play the sport that much harder. It's more professional. You have to adjust your game constantly, and we're doing it," he said. Coming from a land that produces a factory of players, none less than the likes of Nadal, Manuel Orantes, Carlos Moya and David Ferrer, can be both a boon and a bane. Robredo said people in Spain are yet to realise what these select few have done for the sport back home.

"I think in Spain, we used to have a lot of great sportsmen. So it's easy to have more players. People are used to this, and maybe they don't realise what it is. But one day when it's finished, people will realise that it was an amazing 10-20 years of great tennis players. But the important thing is not what people think, the important thing is what somebody does. I'm doing what I like, and I'm doing my best," he said.

And what about his goals? Breaking into the top-five, making a maiden Grand Slam final appearance? "I don't set such goals. I just want to play as good as I did in the latter half of this year and if I can do it, I think I'm going to be very close to what you said. But, I need to do it," he said.

In between all the tennis, Robredo loves going on horse rides in the mountains. "I have two horses. They are very big and strong," he said, breaking into a laugh. "I'll do more of that when I retire."

Robredo on CTL...
Tommy Robredo believes the ongoing Champions Tennis League will do a lot of good for Indian tennis in terms of getting the sponsors. "I think it's important that this league is giving a lot of support to tennis in terms of sponsors. All the Indian juniors in our team say the same thing, that it's tough (to play tennis) because they have no sponsors and they have to travel a lot. So hopefully, things like this will help the young Indian players to reach their goals. It also shows a lot more tennis on TV, which is also a lot of fun and tennis will only grow, no? So I'm happy to be a part of this show and try and help Indian tennis," he said.

KNOW ROBREDO
Name: Tommy Robredo
Date of Birth: May 1, 1982; Hostalric, Spain
Residence: San Cugat del Valles, Spain
Height: 5'11"
Weight: (75 kg)
Plays: Right-handed
Turned Pro: 1998
Coach: Karim Perona

DID YOU KNOW?
Robredo is named after the rock opera Tommy by 'The Who', of which his father Angel is a big fan.
In October 2007, he received the Men's Health 'Most Stylish Man' in Spain award