Ramanathan Kumarappan and his wife Alagammai haven't slept well in two weeks. With a smidgen of guilt, they will tell you that tournaments in the US, which go well past their bedtime in Chennai, lie at the heart of their current phase of insomnia. But for son Ramkumar, currently India's second highest-ranked singles player, they're willing to brave groggy mornings, even if it's just to bury the despair of his close defeats during the phone calls that follow.
On Sunday night, they had an extra rush for forgoing sleep: Ramkumar was chasing history. Until the eve of his semi-finals in Newport though, the 23-year-old had no idea of the heft of a win or final appearance. He was only three when Leander Paes became India's last singles tour titlist in 1998.
In a tournament ruled by upsets -- with just two seeded players advancing to the quarter-finals -- there was hope that the 161-ranked, big-serving Ramkumar, who'd dropped just one set all week on his way to the Hall of Fame Open final, would match Leander's feat. Under wet conditions in Newport against world no.48 Steve Johnson, he managed to win 75 per cent of his first-serve points against the American's 83 per cent.
He lost in three sets but still made history, becoming the first Indian singles player since Somdev Devvarman in 2011 to enter the final of an ATP event. "It was a really close match," Ramkumar tells ESPN. "He (Johnson) played well and I had some chances but I didn't take them. He started the third set well and kept it going but I'll just have to take the positives from this and move on."
He was also rewarded with a 46-spot jump to be placed no. 115 in the latest rankings. "I think it's pretty exciting what Ram has achieved," Somdev tells ESPN. "Rhode Island has been pretty good for Indian players historically. Leander has won a tour event there, Prakash Amritraj has done well too (reaching the final) and generally players who are comfortable on grass really enjoy playing in Newport. Ram is a very, very good grass court player and his best results -- be it Antalya last year or Newport now -- have all come on grass."
Aside from Paes, Vijay Amritraj has won the Newport title on three occasions and brother Anand upset John McEnroe in a round of 16 match of the 1977 edition.
This would have been Ramkumar's second win against a top-50 player, his only one coming against world no.8 Dominic Thiem at the Antalya Open in June last year. But he flew to Newport on the back of a string of losses. Father Ramanathan keeps diligent count. "Four," he says with unemotional exactitude. "He lost four first-round matches before Newport - Winnetka, Recanati, Wimbledon qualifying and Ilkley. When we spoke after the match he told his mother that it was a title he should have won. He had his chances." From a lead of 5-4 in the first set, Ramkumar dropped serve following an error-pockmarked game and Johnson sprayed a forehand long to allow the Indian a lifeline of a third game. But the American, who's the only other player apart from Roger Federer to win tour-level titles on multiple surfaces this season, was too good for the Indian in the decider.
"I was completely unaware of his big serve and forehand but more importantly, what impressed me was his ability to fight in tough situations." Somdev Devvarman
The third lowest-ranked player to make an ATP final this year, the 6 ft 2 Indian had an impressive straight-sets win over former world no.25 Vasek Pospisil en route to the final. He not only saved both break points on his serve, but also managed to convert three on the Canadian's serve. Against Johnson on Sunday though, he managed to save only two out of five break points and has had 24 double faults through the course of the tournament.
"I think one of the worries for Ram," Somdev explains, "and it's both a pro and a con is that he has the ability to play great tennis and beat a lot of very good players. Unfortunately, he doesn't do it consistently enough. That's something his team needs to look into as to why the results are sporadic. Hopefully, he'll draw a lot of confidence from this final and get ready for the US Open series."
Somdev vividly recalls his match against Ramkumar four years ago. It was the night that helped the then 19-year-old Ramkumar grab national headlines. Playing his maiden ATP match, Ramkumar, a qualifier, upset Somdev in three sets before a raucous home crowd in the first round of the Chennai Open. "He played a fantastic match and that was his first breakthrough," Somdev recalls. "I was completely unaware of his big serve and forehand but more importantly, what impressed me was his ability to fight in tough situations. I think that's what makes him one of the best players in the country and a very reliable option for the Davis Cup. You know he has a huge serve, you know he can intimidate a lot of players and create a lot of great things in his game just by fighting really hard. More than anything else he has to work a bit more on his backhand, his return and his fitness."
"We were watching his opponent in the final surrounded by coaches and on Ram's side only a young boy shouting his name after every point." Ramanathan Kumarappan (Ramkumar's father)
Ramkumar, who trains with former pro Emilio Sanchez near Florida, travels alone for tournaments and is happy to lap up whatever advice comes his way during their hour-long Skype sessions every day. "To have your coach traveling with you can be very expensive," father Ramanathan breaks down the economics of a middle-class family managing a professional tennis player's career. "Since he's doing well for himself, his coach doesn't charge him for training and he manages his other expenses with whatever prize money he gets and there's also some support from the Tamil Nadu state government." He pauses and allows himself a laugh. "We were watching his opponent (Johnson) in the final surrounded by coaches and on Ram's side only a young, teenaged boy wearing the academy (Sanchez-Casal) T-shirt and shouting his name after every point."
Not just the young, vocal, academy mate, Ramkumar is also prompt to thank Leander Paes, who along with partner James Cerretani lost in the quarterfinals of the tournament, for his faithful presence through the tournament and his net kill tips. "Leander came and watched my matches and offered me advice. It meant a lot. I think I gave my best. Of course, I haven't had the best results over the last few weeks but I'll just keep my chin up, believe in myself and focus on my strengths. I actually had no idea that I was in for some sort of history," he tells ESPN.
Father Ramanathan has big dreams for his son and isn't shy of letting the world know. "Ramkumar should have been in the top 100 by now. He has the game. Sometimes when he's losing we get annoyed and turn off the computer. But yesterday (Sunday) we watched till the end. We could tell that he was just not bothered about the points or title, he was just in the moment, enjoying the game."
Somdev sees this as a sign of better times ahead. "He's just 100-120 points away from potentially being in the top 100. Summer has just begun but it's begun on a very, very good note."
Ramkumar next plays world No 65 Taylor Fritz at the ATP 250 Atlanta Open on Tuesday.
For the Ramanathans, it's another sleepless week ahead.