New Delhi, May 24 : Former India No. 1 Somdev Devvarman has defended the use of protected rankings in professional tennis, calling it a system built strictly on merit, while expressing deep concern over the absence of Indian singles players in the world's top 200.

India's Karman Kaur Thandi had secured her spot in the womenâ??s singles qualifying draw for this year's French Open, officially ending Indiaâ??s recent drought of representation in Grand Slam singles events. However, her return to the Grand Slam stage ended in a tough opening-round defeat, falling to local favourite Harmony Tan in the first round of qualifying.

Speaking to IANS, the former player explained that protected ranking is not a handout but something a player earns through prior performance.

"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.

While calling the qualifying match result "disappointing" and an "eye-opening" experience for Karman, Devvarman said that the silver lining lies in her current fitness. Karman's career has long been plagued by physical setbacks, preventing her from fully realising her potential.

"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 41-year-old further shed light on the alarming reality of Indian singles tennis on the global stage, questioning the pipeline behind India's top-ranked men's singles player, 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?

"Hopefully, we are kind of looking at Manas Dhamne. Dakshineshwar (Suresh) is doing well, but he is going to start his time on the tour in the next few weeks now. So, maybe next year, this time around, we will kind of be able to look at at least one more player," he noted.

"In the women, you kind of have to beg the question, right? Why are Sreevali and some of the others that are playing for the country, why are they not being able to make that jump? And what do they need to do?" Devvarman questioned.

"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.

The Roland Garros 2026 main draw started on Sunday. Catch all the action of Roland Garros 2026 starting May 24, live on Sony Sports Ten 2 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 5 SD & HD and Sony LIV.

/IANS