Losing the game but not the lesson

“It was the first international experience for me,it was great,” he said.

Even after the loss,Varun looks at the brighter side as he believes in being optimistic and learning from the mistakes he made,“I was happy that I got to play the best player on the juniors’ circuit,never mind losing to the the top seed,” he says after getting a real taste of what world class tennis is all about.

According to the Mumbai lad,a player realizes how good he is at that level and knows where he is lacking which helps him in enhancing his game even further.

Playing on the clay courts was a very different experience and it’s a challenge for every tennis player to do well there. Though he is fond of synthetic courts Varun has developed a liking for red clay as well and says,“You need a lot of stamina as you have to hit the ball back on such a surface”

Varun who trains at the Cricket Club of India tennis courts took up tennis at the age of 5 but had taken a break for 3 years. This tournament was a sort of a comeback for the 16-year-old who is keen on taking the sport more seriously now.

He revealed that it was just the love for the sport which couldn’t hold him away for a longer time and now is keen on taking it professionally and now aims to be on the top.

Varun was one of the lucky ones who got a chance to go to Rolland Garros and felt the atmosphere at the centre court there. Sharing his experience on visiting the classic stadium he said it was ‘real’ and he hoped to play on that red clay one day.

Tahir Ali who was Varun’s chief coach at the tournament believes that such tournaments are a boon to junior tennis which will help them to improve their standard of playing. He said,“Varun has shown remarkable improvement after playing in France. Playing such tournaments is beneficial for the youngsters.”