Silver lining for city lad Sanam in Korea

CHANDIGARH: City tennis star Sanam Singh could not add a second consecutive Asian Games gold medal to his kitty as he and Saketh Myneni settled for a silver after losing the hard-fought final in straight sets to Korea's Yongkyu Lim and Hyeon Chung on Monday.
The fifth seeded Indians lost the summit clash 5-7 6-7(2) in an hour and 29 minutes to the eighth seeded local favourites.
Sanam, 26, son of Kanwai Krishan and Roopa Singh, had won the men's doubles gold with Somdev Devvarman at the Guangzhou edition in 2010.
After Sanam's medal-winning feat, mother Roopa Singh was on top of the world when TOI contacted her. "I am very happy with Sanam's silver medal although all of us wanted a gold from him once again. When we got to know about this (Sanam's silver medal) we were overjoyed. I think he has got a just reward for the years of hard work that he has put in," she reflected.
Going back to the times when Sanam had picked up a tennis racquet, his mother said he always wanted to represent his country. "When he started playing tennis, it was his dream to play for the country and represent the nation. Life has come a full circle for Sanam."
She also believes that all those years of hardship, when Sanam had to travel a lot for his practice sessions, have finally paid off.
Reflecting on Sanam's game, Roopa Singh felt that playing alongside Leander Paes in the Davis Cup was a huge boost for his son that improved Sanam's overall tennis.
"I know he might not play the singles matches but playing alongside the legendary Leander Paes during the Davis Cup was a huge achievement. He gained a lot of experience and learnt a lot from Paes. The standard of his game has improved a lot," she said.