Kolhapur’s Aishwarya Jadhav India No. 1 in U-14 tennis

After her consistent stellar performances in her new form, the 13-year old achieved India number 1 standing in the U-14 category.

Currently, Jadhav trains under brothers Arshad and Manal Desai at the Arshad Desai Tennis Academy in Kolhapur

Kolhapur’s ace tennis player Aishwarya Jadhav feels that coming out of her comfort zone has upgraded her game style. After her consistent stellar performances in her new form, the 13-year old achieved India number 1 standing in the U-14 category. “It was one of the goals I wanted to achieve. I played my best game and I am glad I made it,” said the elated teenager.

While sticking to her original game style of a defensive player with a strong forehand, Jadhav did make the most of it till it lasted. “As I started to play higher age groups, the matches were faster and I could not keep up. It was time I came out of my shell and elevate my tennis. I have worked towards that for months into developing as an aggressive player and once it started to reap results on the court, I gained a lot of confidence in myself,” she said.

For the past two months, Jadhav has been playing consecutive matches and outperforming her older self. With her new form, she clinched three singles and four doubles titles in both Under 14 and Under 16 categories in the last month. Maintaining consistency in her tennis, Jadhav also managed to find herself in the top 10 in the Under 16 rankings.

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“I was determined to be aggressive to have more powerful shots and to have faster games. I would say it did not work out in my favour in the first few matches but I did not let it deter me from my objectives. During my tournament tours, I was in touch with my coaches to perform my best in each match,” she said.

Currently, Jadhav trains under brothers Arshad and Manal Desai at the Arshad Desai Tennis Academy in Kolhapur. Coach Arshad, after her new rankings told the Indian Express, “Her ranking was a birthday present for me…I checked the rankings like I usually do and there it was, her name at the top.”

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