Greener courts,titles drive Punjab’s highest ranked U-16 player

“I have been travelling continuously for the past five-six months and I am mostly away from home,sometimes for two weeks or even three. It gets tiring but then I know I have to improve my ITF ranking and play in as many tournaments if I am to leave a mark on the tennis scene,” said Fatehdeep,14,the former Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association (CLTA) player.

In the last six months,after shifting his base from Chandigarh to Ludhiana,Fatehdeep left CLTA for better training. He has played in five national and international tournaments and emerged triumphant in four of those. At number 5,he is the highest ranked player from Punjab in the latest under-16 AITA rankings.

His first title came in the form of Under-15 OIL-AITA Super Series Tennis Championship in Guwahati in July,followed by International Club Asian Junior Challenger Cup title,10th Eldeco RS Sagar Memorial-AITA Super Series Under-16 Tennis Tournament (New Delhi),and the twin titles in the recently concluded tournament in Pune.

“I have been focusing only on nationals,National Series and ITF tournaments. A win always boosts my confidence. It feels good when other players from Punjab come to me and say I am their inspiration,” chuckled the lanky lad.

With his reputation as a solid player spreading far away,comparison with former CLTA- CHART trainee,Vijayant Malik who currently trains at Siri Fort in Delhi,is inevitable. In the last five years,former CLTA- CHART trainee,Vijayant Malik was a dominant force in the national circuit and that baton was then passed to Ajay Yadav,another talented player who could not translate his potential into success. Then came Fatehdeep,blessed with a good height at 6 feet,and he has elevated his game in the last one year.

“I am glad to see improvement in my serves. Now I am working on consistency in playing forehand and backhand shots. I will try to take part in all the ITF tournaments from next year and improve my ranking,” said Fatehdeep,who was a part of the Indian junior Davis Cup team.