Rhamanan raring for Australian return after injury setback

SINGAPORE — Not being able to do what they love the most is always painful for any athlete, from any sport.

And that was exactly how Vivian Rhamanan felt when an injury sidelined him for more than a month and hindered the progress he was making in his journey as a squash professional.

The Singaporean, who turned pro last November, tore his left calf muscle while playing a qualifying match against Kiwi Jamie Oakley at the Waikato Open in New Zealand in early May.

“After winning my first qualifying match, I felt a bit of tightness in my calf and I only had less than four hours to rest before the match against Jamie,” Rhamanan told TODAY.

“It was a tough match that was at 2-2, and just as I decided to take a lunge in the fifth and final set, my calf muscle gave way and I had to retire.”

The 30-year-old was forced to miss the 2016 Asian Squash Team Championships in Taiwan from May 11-15. Singapore finished sixth and seventh in the women’s and men’s categories respectively.

Now that his injury woes are behind him, Rhamanan is eager to get his pro career back on track, starting in the next two weeks, when he will head to Australia to take part in two Professional Squash Association tournaments. He will first compete in the Tasmania Squash Open (July 7-10), where he will face top seed and world No 94 Australian Zac Alexander in the first round, followed by the South Australian Open (July 12-16), where he has been pitted against world No 246 Mike Corren.

“I have been working on my fitness in the last few weeks and want to make up for lost time,” said world No 278 Rhamanan, who was ranked 475th when he turned professional last November.

“I didn’t expect my world ranking to increase this much, but I believe this is a testament to my hard work and I will strive to keep improving.”

Rhamanan had a financial boost last March when he received a cash sponsorship of S$25,000 from local dairy and drinks firm Marigold and the Singapore Squash Rackets Association (SSRA). But the father of two will still need to fork out S$2,900 for the trip down under. He will also save on expenses by sharing accommodation with acquaintances.

“I am always looking for ways to save on cost as much as possible,” he said. “Hopefully this will all pay off in the future.

“My aim has always been to win an individual medal at the SEA Games and Asian Games, and I will continue working towards that.”