JOIN USIt has been a memorable week for India’s Abhimanyu Vannemreddy. The young tennis talent grabbing the wild card to the Junior French Open championship is a tale of luck and a lot of pluck.
The 16-year-old defeated Japan’s Hikaru Shiraishi 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 to become the first Indian to clinch the Rendez-vous A Roland Garros trophy in Montrouge, near Paris on Saturday.
Abhimanyu had earlier missed a chance to play in the last leg of the tournament after he finished runner-up to Pune’s Siddhant Banthia in the preliminary stage held in Delhi in April. However, Siddhant suffered an injury, paving the way for Abhimanyu and the youngster made the most of this opportunity.
“I received the news of my participation in the final phase very late and that was the most challenging part. We had very little time for visa and other preparations. But once I made it to the competition, everything was smooth,” Abhimanyu told DH. The junior singles event will begin at the Roland Garros from June 4 and Abhimanyu wants to keep his excitement in check.
“It’s a Grand Slam event and I am extremely happy and excited. But all said and done, I am a professional and I am more focused on getting the job done,” he said.
Trained by Vishal Uppal –– a former India Davis Cupper –– at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA), the Andhra lad prevailed in a hard-fought summit clash.
“Though the round-robin matches were a bit challenging, I found the final to be the toughest. To play the three sets wasn’t easy but I am glad I pulled it off. It was a great experience to play against talented players of different countries,” he said.
Abhimanyu, who started playing from the age of six in Tanzania, moved to India in 2009. He then trained in Bengaluru at the Apollo Tyres Mission 2018 –– an initiative to identify and encourage young talent in the country –– from 2009-2012, before shifting base to Delhi. His singles title in a National Series event in Thiruvananthapuram in 2015 is his biggest domestic achievement.
Delighted by his feat, coach Vishal said he was glad that their preparations ahead of the event have paid off.
“It is a lucky break for him and he deserves it. We trained hard for this. He is a typical baseline player and we worked on his strengths. There is still room for improvement and I hope he does well at the French Open,” Vishal explained.