For 13-year-old Saranya Nagpal, the trip to Doha last week could not have been more satisfactory for she delighted everyone with a fine performance in the Asian under-14 championship winning a ‘double'.
Talented youngster
For someone who started playing at the age of seven at the Narendranath-Vasudeva Reddy Tennis Academy in Kondapur, Saranya did show her promise very early. Saranya won a number of Talent Series events in 2009-10 and also picked big titles in the Championship Series and the Super Series already this year.
What stood out amongst her performances so far is winning gold in the CBSE National Games representing Delhi Public School (Khajaguda) this January in Dubai.
And, when Saranya picked her maiden Asian under-14 singles title in Doha it was deemed as another big stride in her pursuit of excellence at the highest level. In fact, she won the singles and two doubles titles there, a which helped her move into the top 10 ATF rankings in the under-14 category
Buoyed by her success, Saranya says that she is determined to be a professional player and is optimistic of continued support from her parents, school, coaches and friends. “Already, we are making a critical assessment of her abilities and how far she can go and once we get a feel of the demanding tasks ahead and the way she is gearing up to face the challenges, we will not be found wanting to extend our complete support to her by sending her either to Spain or USA,” says the proud father Vikram Nagpal.
Who are Saranya's favourites? “Swiss great Roger Federer for his smooth execution of shots and cool attitude and Maria Sharapova for her height and grunts to boost her up during the match,” is the reply in a flash.
This young Hyderabadi feels that her backhand is her strong point even while stressing that she needs to improve her serve and shoulders for more power.
Coming from a City which produced India's best ever women's tennis player Sania Mirza, Saranya interestingly sets her own goals even getting inspired at the more famous Sania's achievements. “It will be unfair to talk big now. I hope to keep performing well at the highest level,” she signs off before going for another grinding training schedule at NVK Academy.
