For U-16 national champ Simran,planning ahead is half the battle won

Because of such meticulous planning,Simran says she doesn’t get distracted much during competition — something that is often mistaken as aloofness — but she doesn’t worry too much about that either. “Aloof is not the worst thing I have been called. In fact,I have been told by a lot of the people I play with that I have too much attitude. But I don’t agree. I am just selective about whom I talk too,” says Simran.

In fact,she says,most of her focus is on her game than anything else. While she trains for the most part at the Siri Fort Complex under Sachdeva,she has also begun training at the Mouratoglou Academy in France under Patrick Mouratoglou,coach of players like Marcos Baghdatis. “I ultimately want to play on the women’s circuit and if I play and compete in tournaments in India rather than in Europe where the competition and training are tougher,it will be hard for me to make the switch,” says the teenager,explaining the reason behind her simultaneous training in Europe.

With the senior circuit her ultimate aim,Simran says she isn’t concerned about winning or losing in tournaments. “Of course,winning is a good feeling but my intention is to do everything right. For example when I play,I want to make sure that my feet are moving correctly or that I am hitting my strokes in perfectly,” she says.

And while most players her age usually have an anxious parent hovering around at all times,Simran is unencumbered on or off the court. “Over the years,I have learned to do things myself. I usually have to travel a lot to play tennis and I do all of that myself. My mum calls me occasionally but for the most part,she trusts me. That really helps me out because when you are doing a particular thing every day,you don’t need another person pressurising you to do more of the same. A lot of tennis players I know lost interest because their parents were constantly monitoring them,” says Simran.

But that doesn’t mean she’s doesn’t value her mother’s presence,a doctor. “She has been quite a strong woman and I hope I can turn out like her. She was quite rough with me when I was younger. She always told me that if I wanted something,I had to be prepared to work hard for it. That helped me become more independent,” she says.

For now,she is busy chalking out her next career moves —

independently.