Mumbai, Oct. 22 -- Dhakshineswar Suresh sat calmly in a corner of the cafeteria as he watched a match on the courts of the Maharashtra Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) complex here. But that's a few hours after he brought the storm to the court. He is the top seed at the M25 Futures event in Mumbai. Earlier on Wednesday, he raced through his opening round with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Kazakh Grigoriy Lomakin. A few hours later, he paired up with Manish Sureshkumar to eke out a tight win in the first round of doubles. Dhakshineswar unleashed his booming serve, powerful forehand and showcased his volleying ability. The big game style from the man who stands at 6-foot-5 has started to make him more and more known among Indian tennis fans. And it has been a long time coming. Dhakshineswar is 26, but his professional career is only getting started. In May, the Madurai-born graduated from the Wake Forest University in the United States and joined the international pro circuit. College tennis was not in the plan when he started out. But a serious back injury in 2020 got him to a point where "doctors said might not be able to play tennis again," Dhakshineswar recalled. But once he recovered, his mentor Somdev Devvarman, former India No.1 and world No.62, encouraged him to rebuild his game through the US college circuit. The injury and college tennis delayed his entry into the pro circuit. But along the way, in two Davis Cup ties for India in Switzerland last year and against a stronger Dutch team in Bengaluru in February, the explosive right-hander unleashed his weapons at a time when the Indian team was desperate for positive results in singles. The tie against Netherlands in particular gave him a boost as he got set to make the transition to the pro circuit in May. "Being a professional tennis player was my dream. It was the perfect timing, getting it done in the Davis Cup and then graduating and getting ready to go out on the pro tour," Dhakshineswar told HT. "I'm happy with how I did in college and that chapter is done." From being ranked 521 at the start of the year, he has started to find his feet as a professional - he reached the semi-final of an ATP Challenger in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. "In college, it's a team sport and everything is taken care of for you. They pretty much pamper you and you just have to step on court and play," said the world No.421. "But when you're on tour, you realise how lonely the sport is. You have to plan all your tournaments, flights, hotels. everything on your own. It's tough out there, but you just got to keep grinding." He still goes back to his college to train when he is in the US, while focusing on practising at the Rohan Bopanna Tennis Academy (RBTA) in Bengaluru when in India. This is the second time he has gone pro. The first time ended when he suffered the back injury. However, he was determined to give it another go, although it came only six years later. "It was easy to quit, but given how hard I worked to get to where I was, the effort, sacrifices and money my parents had put in. I was determined to give it another push to see if I can do it," he said. "I've lost years, but I try not to be negative. When you're 26, it gets tougher. Everyone blooms at their own time. I'm just happy that I'm playing right now."...