Life goes on for Somdev

India's no.1 player Somdev Devvarman lost the Chennai Open first round to qualifier David Goffin 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday night. A tennis match, nothing more. "I am not going to beat myself over it," said the 25-year-old. "In the end, it was a match. I am not going to kill myself over it. Not tonight, at least. I hope." Deepti Patwardhan reports.

India's no.1 player Somdev Devvarman lost the Chennai Open first round to qualifier David Goffin 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday night. A tennis match, nothing more. "I am not going to beat myself over it," said the 25-year-old. "In the end, it was a match. I am not going to kill myself over it. Not tonight, at least. I hope."

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Goffin, 20, winning in his first ATP main draw match against a player ranked more than a 100 places above him was a big upset, but the Belgian was hitting like there was no tomorrow, entering a striking zone where nothing could go wrong.

"He deserves all the credit for it," said Devvarman. "There were a few things I should have done. Coming into the tournament I really felt like I was hitting the ball well, but practice doesn't count. He had three matches under his belt and was definitely sharper than me."

The early exit from the Chennai Open means Somdev will have more time to prepare for his next assignment-- the Australian Open qualifiers. "The qualies start on Tuesday so I have a week to work things out."

When asked about the areas in his game that need improvement, the Indian was downright cheeky. "Let me see, after today's match, my serve: first and second, my forehand, running forehand, backhand, volley..."

Though the Indian had taken a heavy blow, going down in the opening round of his 'home' tournament, in a sport that can easily break minds, he still managed to keep his wits about him.