Aryan Goveas won much more than three ATP points and $520 in prize money at last week’s KPIT MSLTA Challenger Series in Pune.
Though he suffered a second round 6-4, 7-6(5) loss to Sumit Nagal (ranked 131) at the hard courts of Balewadi Sports Complex, the fight he put up has given him confidence ahead of the new season. Aryan’s performance won praise from the India No. 2, who became the first Indian to take a set off Roger Federer when he faced the Swiss ace in the first round of the 2019 U.S. Open.
Ranked 867 at the start of the tournament, Aryan sprang a surprise in the first round by blasting his way past World No. 480 Tobias Simon of Germany.
Aryan justified his wildcard entry with a 6-4, 7-6(4) win in the action-packed duel, which lasted for one hour and 19 minutes.
The 21-year-old Mumbai lad believes that 2020 can be a breakthrough year for him. Aryan said: “It [the win over Simon] gave me a lot of belief in my game and the confidence that I could step up to the Challenger level and crack it in the near future. I had my chances to take the in-form Nagal to the third set. The match was a good learning experience.”
Third time lucky
Aryan gained entry into the main draw of the Challenger Tennis Series as a wildcard after he finished as the singles runner-up at the Fenesta Senior Nationals, conducted by the All India Tennis Association, in New Delhi. This was the third straight year that the wildcard was handed out to Aryan by the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Academy (MSLTA), which organised the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) event. After two unsuccessful attempts, he finally went past the first round and repaid the organisers’ faith in him.
No travelling coach
For Aryan, who has been banking on tour friends for advice in the absence of a travelling coach, every win is a step towards reaching the next milestone. Aryan depends on a support group of fellow tennis professionals as he cannot afford the minimum fee of $1,000 per week that coaches charge for overseas tours. Having a personal coach is important as players have to adapt to different playing surfaces, climatic conditions and time zones. With few international events being held in India, players like Aryan have no option but to take the lonely road. The Pune tournament was the only ATP Challenger event hosted in India for the entire 2019 season.
Aryan’s close friends — Courtney Lock from Zimbabwe and compatriot Karunuday Singh — double up as his tennis advisers. “I have friends on the circuit, really good players who I stay and travel with when on tour. We watch each other’s matches, give inputs and train together. This arrangement is always helpful when I am on tour. Another person’s perspective on what you are doing on and off the court is effective.” Courtney and Aryan became friends on the junior circuit in 2014 and now travel together to events. “Karunuday helps us stay positive,” said Aryan.
An alumnus of Vibgyor High, Goregaon, and Rizvi College, Bandra, Aryan’s tennis lessons began at Practennis Academy in Andheri under coach D.S. Rama Rao. Aryan then moved to Pune and trained under coach Aditya Madkekar at Solaris Academy. Impressive performances at age group events saw Aryan receive sustained support from MSLTA and his presence on the ATP circuit resulted in supplies from sports brands such as ASICS (clothes and shoes) and HEAD (tennis equipment). GoSports Foundation was another sponsor, which gave Aryan annual contracts based on his performance.
Task cut out
The task ahead for the serve-and-volleyer is to replicate his Balewadi display at events outside India like the Futures tournaments. Currently ranked 818, Aryan is preparing for two domestic leagues in Kolkata and Mumbai under Mr. Madkekar and trainer Kaifi Afzal at Adar Poonawalla Tennis Academy in Pune’s Deccan Gymkhana. He said, “My aim for the next season is to play higher tournaments, get my ranking within 450, and build from there on.”
Aryan said working with Mr. Madkekar and Mr. Afzal has proved to be effective. “My coaches understand the way I play and know how I am feeling. Communicating [with them] is tough when I’m away on overseas tours, but they know what is going on [with my game] and help me as much as they can from here.”
Next month, Aryan will be in action at the Tennis Premier League in Versova, where he will be representing Mumbai Leon Army, which is co-owned by tennis star Leander Paes.
