Y. Pranjala, fresh from her maiden Fed Cup appearance where she partnered Rio Olympian Prarthana Thombare, says the next big goal is to make it to the Indian team for the Asian Games later this year.
The 18-year-old, now taking part in an ITF tournament in Egypt, told The Hindu on Thursday that she aims to be in the top three in India to be able to represent the country in the Games to be held in Indonesia.
“The Asia-Oceania Fed Cup appearance is a huge morale-booster. It gave me a hint of the kind of intensity, focus and competition I can face in the senior grade,” says Pranjala who started competing in the seniors some five months ago.
Her WTA rankings have improved from around 1000 six months ago to 478 now.
“I am glad with the way things have been going on. I have been working a lot on my serve and groundstrokes. In fact, I am experimenting with some of the changes in technique, suggested by my coaches at the Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis Academy (Bengaluru) where I joined five months ago,” says the girl who first fine-tuned her skills with the racquet under the guidance of Sanjay Kumar at Sun-Jay Tennis Academy in Hyderabad,” she says.
Pranjala doesn’t feel it is taxing by competing in singles and doubles. “I am enjoying it as it helps me to improve quicker and also ensure I maintain the desired fitness levels,” she says.
