Former India No. 1 Somdev Devvarman has firmly backed the use of protected rankings in professional tennis, describing the system as one grounded entirely in merit, while raising pointed concerns about the near-total absence of Indian singles players from the world's top 200. His remarks came in the context of Karman Kaur Thandi's first-round qualifying exit at the French Open 2026 in Paris.

What Protected Ranking Actually Means

Devvarman was unambiguous in pushing back against any perception that protected rankings represent preferential treatment. Karman had used her protected ranking to earn a place in the women's singles qualifying draw at Roland Garros 2026 — marking the end of India's recent drought of Grand Slam singles representation — before losing to local favourite Harmony Tan in the opening round of qualifying.

'I mean, just to be clear, protected ranking is merit,' Devvarman said. 'Essentially, Karman would have been eligible to participate in the French Open maybe a few years ago had she not been injured. But because she was injured for a long period of time, now on her comeback, she can use the ranking that she had at that time for nine months or nine tournaments, whichever comes sooner. Protected ranking only protects a player that already did qualify back then but couldn't participate because of injury,' he added.

The 41-year-old former player described the qualifying defeat as both 'disappointing' and 'eye-opening' for Karman, while noting that her current fitness was a silver lining. Karman's career has been repeatedly disrupted by physical setbacks that have prevented her from sustaining momentum on the tour.

'She is a player that has struggled with injuries for a long, long time. Unfortunately, (she has) not been able to live up to the potential that a lot of people thought that she had. Maybe she still does. So, she is working hard. These things take time. It doesn't happen on your first go. You need to play a lot of matches for a long time to be back in this position,' he observed.

The Deeper Problem: India's Top 200 Vacuum

Beyond Karman's individual case, Devvarman zeroed in on what he called the more alarming structural reality — the absence of Indian men or women in the world's top 200 singles rankings, beyond Sumit Nagal.

'Why aren't there any Indians in the top 200, I guess, men or women? That's the real question of concern. We had Sumit. The question is, after him, who?' he said.

He pointed to Manas Dhamne and Dakshineshwar Suresh as potential candidates to watch, with the latter set to begin his full tour campaign in the coming weeks. 'Maybe next year, this time around, we will kind of be able to look at at least one more player,' Devvarman noted.

Women's Pipeline Under Scrutiny

On the women's side, Devvarman was equally candid. He questioned why players such as Sreevali Bhamidipaty have not been able to make the leap into the top tier of the global rankings.

'Obviously, the answer at the end of the day is, this is sport. So, there is no reading too much in between the lines. If you are not good enough to get there, you won't. And unfortunately, that's where we are,' he concluded.

What to Watch Next

The Roland Garros 2026 main draw got underway on Sunday, 25 May. For Indian tennis, the focus now shifts to whether the next generation — Dhamne and Dakshineshwar on the men's side, Bhamidipaty among the women — can break through and end the country's extended absence from the upper echelons of singles tennis.