After an unforgettable Wimbledon in 2015, India’s junior players will look to make it another memorable summer in London.
Sacchitt Sharma and Mahak Jain had won the UK under-14 championship boys and girls’ titles in the Road to Wimbledon event in August that year after Sania Mirza and Leaner Paes had partnered Martina Hingis to the women’s doubles and mixed doubles titles. Sumit Nagal too won the junior boys’ doubles title with Nam Hoang Ly of Vietnam.
Mahak will be there this time along with the country’s best junior, the 18th ranked Zeel Desai and the Asian junior champion Mihika Yadav. On the boys’ side, there will be Siddhant Banthia.
The All India Tennis Association (AITA) has drafted former FedCup player Arati Ponnappa Natekar, wife of Davis Cupper Gaurav Natekar, to coach the juniors with financial support from the Union Sports Ministry.
“The kids are very talented, have had good results and are ranked high. They have no fear. They have nothing to lose and can really go all out and play their best tennis,” said Arati on the eve of her departure for London.
Arati will be travelling with Mahak, while Banthia and Mihika have already reached London.
“Mihika, in fact, has already managed to have some practice on grass,” said Arati, who was the coach of the Junior Fed Cup team this season.
The juniors will first compete in the ITF grade-1 event in Roehampton to get acclimatised to the conditions and tune their game on grass, before Wimbledon.
“I am excited to be back. It is not easy to be away from home for three weeks, but with the sporting background we have, everyone is flexible and willing to adjust,” said Arati.
Zeel will be the last to reach London on June 30, in time for the Nike grade-1 event scheduled to start on July 2. Banthia reached early as he will have to negotiate the qualifying event. The girls are ranked in the top-30 and thus have direct entry.
Quite conscious about the need to play as much as possible on grass, Arati tried to coordinate a training camp in Delhi or Chandigarh prior to the departure of the team, but it did not work out, as the players had different travel plans.
“I think we will have adequate practice before the tournament in Roehampton,” said Arati.
With Zeel’s coach Todd Clark not travelling for the grass court events, Arati said that she would speak to the coach and her parents to ensure suitable support, if necessary.
