UT-based teen shocks top seed, wins national junior tennis title
Diwali, it seemed, had come early for Digvijay.
Digvijay Pratap Singh.
Immediately after wrapping up his boys’ U-14 singles final match against top seed Siddhant Banthia, Digvijay Pratap Singh rushed to and began packing his bags. Though the boys’ under-14 final was a cakewalk for him, as he defeated the top seed 6-3, 6-0, the Chandigarh tennis player could not catch his breath as he was instructed by his coach Gajendra Singh to rush up. While the other players around him celebrated their title victory, Digvijay couldn’t savour the moment. But he didn’t complain as it was the biggest day in his fledgling career.
To begin with, he started the day with a bang, winning the boys’ U-14 trophy in the prestigious Fenesta National Junior Tennis Championship at the DLTA Complex in New Delhi. And later, he was informed that the four-member CLTA team, which he is a part of, would be leaving for Madrid for a three-week coaching camp on Saturday night.
Diwali, it seemed, had come early for Digvijay. “It is a great day for me. Winning my maiden Fenesta National title and then getting a chance to train at Madrid is simply wonderful,” said the 14-year-old.
While his breathrough performance at Fenesta National has won him many admirers, those around him weren’t surprised when he won the title. At the same tournament last year, he had managed to reach the last four. On the heels of some eye-catching performances last year, when he accumulated more than a dozen titles, he managed to gain a foothold in the domestic circuit. “He has the potential to go very far. He is a focused player and his groundstrokes and huge forehand makes him a very lethal player on the court. He is disciplined and has set realistic goals for himself,” said Gajendra Singh, director coaching of CLTA.
His talent caught the eyes of the Haryana government also, as the CHART trainee was adopted by them in July this year. With as many as half a dozen title already in his kitty, it is turning out to be another great year for the player who shifted his base from Jhajjar to Chandigarh almost six year ago.
Though he always had a soft corner for tennis, he never thought he would take up the sport while growing up as his cousins dabbled in shooting and his father was fond of wrestling. But everything changed once he reached Chandigarh.
His stint at Madrid is likely to enchance his growing reputation as another talented player from the region. “Digvijay has been playing in limited tournaments and that too within the north zone. After his training at Madrid, we will chart out a programme for him,” added Gajendra.
Curently placed 12th in AITA U-14 rankings, Digvijay has his eyes fixed on ITF junior tournaments.
“I want to take part in ITF juniors. Hopefully it will happen this year. I am looking forward to it,” he said.
Share
