Fatehdeep unplugged

He leans forward,bends down and gets up again before tossing the ball in the sky followed by a sharp jump and hits the yellow ball with full force,resulting in a fiery ace.

Written by Shalini Gupta

Chandigarh | October 29, 2010 02:56 AM IST

5 min read

With twelve national titles in his kitty in a year,13-year-old CHART trainee Fatehdeep Singh is rapidly climbing the success ladder to become the most sought after player on the junior circuit

He leans forward,bends down and gets up again before tossing the ball in the sky followed by a sharp jump and hits the yellow ball with full force,resulting in a fiery ace. Repeating the same act over the next 30 minutes during a training session at the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association (CLTA) under coach Gurvinder Singh,the young tennis prodigy,Fatehdeep Singh,is a picture of concentration. And soon the 13-year-old fires as many as 20 aces during this period.

It is his flawless and powerful serves combined with dominant forehand that has provided impetus to this Punjab lad,who has been making inroads at the junior circuit. Within a year,Fatehdeep,a student of DAV Model School,Sector 15,Chandigarh,has bagged two AITA titles in the U-14 and ten AITA titles in the U-16 category.

It was Gary O Brien,former Director Coaching at CLTA Stadium,who tapped Fatehdeep’s talent and inducted him in the Chandigarh Academy for Rural Tennis (CHART) programme in 2008. Since then,there has been no looking back for the immensely talented player. “I was pretty raw when I joined the CHART programme. I had power in my game but I lacked technique and execution. As a result,I lost many matches initially. However,I took lessons from my mistakes and I started working on my fitness and overall aspect of the game with Gary sir. It was in 2009 when the results started to show. I started winning in the U-14 category consistently,and that’s when I gained confidence and felt motivated,” says Fatehdeep,who is from Ludhiana.

Early learner

Born to a former national weightlifting champion Ram Singh,Fatehdeep showed signs of a potential sports enthusiast when he won many titles in athletics,gymnastics and roller skating in his early years. His father adds,”He was always a very energetic and strong boy with a nice built. I had been talking to a lot of foreign coaches during my playing days and they all told me that games like athletics,gymnastics and roller skating helps a child build endurance,stamina,flexibility and agility,if played early. He actively took part in these three sports till he was seven and that helped him a lot when he started playing tennis.” Ram Singh is employed with the Railways and is also Fatehdeep’s fitness coach. It was due to lack of hitting partners and competition that propelled Fateh to switch over to Chandigarh from Ludhiana. “When Gary sir offered me the CHART opportunity two years back,I was overwhelmed. I knew that playing in Ludhiana would not take me anywhere whereas CLTA could provide me top class coaching,tough competition and ample opportunities. So,CLTA was the best choice if I wanted to enter the big league. And I have evolved as a player now. My serve has become better,my volleys have improved,my forehand has enhanced basically my overall game has improved. I am working on my service now.” Fatehdeep’s latest glory came at Lucknow where he beat Delhi’s Garvit Batra to win the AITA Super Series Championship in the U-16 category.

At his age,Fatehdeep Singh is 5 feet 11 inches tall and still growing. His mother Sukhbir adds,”Fateh is very committed to the game. He is never lazy; in fact,he gets restless when he is not training or playing. I make sure that he gets adequate protein,carbohydrates and calcium in his diet for muscle and growth. But between all these things he never misses his sleep and studies.”His younger brother Karanbir Singh,11,is also an avid tennis player.

Watched over

Watching him graduate from U-12 to U-14 and then from U-14 to U-16 category,recently,Yonex,a sport equipment brand,has signed a three-year contract with Fatehdeep Singh. Ranked fifth in the U-14,and 11 in the U-16 category,Fatehdeep is eying more titles wins in the upcoming AITA tournaments.

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“My transition from an U-14 to U-16 player has been quite incredible. I had won many U-16 AITA titles when I was in the U-14 age group. My aim is to work upon my U-16 AITA ranking and win upcoming tournaments. The Indian junior team for Davis Cup will be announced in February next year and I am keeping a close eye on that.”

Fatehdeep needs to be in the top-three in the U-16 AITA rankings to make himself eligible for the Davis Cup. And before February,he will be competing in as many as five AITA tournaments in the U-16 section. His next big tournament is the National Super Series Tournament to be held in Pune next month.

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