Early start on the learning curve

Despite his small frame, Shramay has a deceptive forehand that has served him well every time he steps on to the court. The fact that the closest winning margin for him in this tournament was a 6-4 scoreline in a best of 11 games in the second round is testimony to the fact.

For the final, however, he didn8217;t have to sweat too much, something that he admits. At the same time, though, a win here seem like nothing compared to his dreams. 8220;He once dreamt of playing at Roland Garros against Rafael Nadal in the final. He said he lost the first game, but went on to win the match to lift the French Open in his dream,8221; says Ritu Dhawan, Shramay8217;s mother.

8220;It8217;s not only his passion for the game at this age, but his insistence on perfection and complete knowledge about the game. You can ask him about any tennis player on earth and he will be ready with the answers. In fact, he is so serious about the game that sometimes, in his quest for perfection, he ends up carrying a tennis kit double his size,8221; she adds.

Looking up to Pistol Pete
In his quest for 8216;perfection8217; and 8216;discipline8217;, Shramay has found his idol in Pete Sampras. Despite never having seen the legend in action, Shramay was hooked on to the game 8212; and Sampras 8212; after watching a documentary on a popular sports channel. It is for the lack of this very 8216;discipline8217; that he doesn8217;t like Rafael Nadal or even Boris Becker, who was a part of the show.

During Friday8217;s final, though, he admits to having let his idol down by making faces on losing points. 8220;I like Sampras for his humbleness and try to follow his on-court attitude. But today I lost my temper and made faces at my opponent at least twice. I will try to avoid that in future,8221; says Shramay.

According to his coach Yogesh Kumar, the youngest trainee at the Siri Fort Sports Complex has many things uncommon to his age-group. 8220;He keeps hitting balls all the time 8212; on court, on the wall, against any surface he gets hands to. He will keep watching Yuki Bhambri for hours. And when everyone else has left, you can see him still working hard. He keeps a complete account of international tennis, even visiting Grand Slam websites to catch a glimpse of the matches he missed,8221; says Kumar.

In fact, even his selection at the Siri Fort complex for training was not a matter of routine. 8220;We generally don8217;t take in children of his age as kids so young are very indecisive about continuing with the game after a couple of years. However, with Shramay we had no hesitancy in deciding to take him in. His commitment and the amount of time he spends on court were enough to convic us about his seriousness,8221; Kumar says.

He adds that Aditya Sachdeva Yuki Bhambri8217;s coach also played a big role in ensuring that Shramay got to play at the Siri Fort complex. 8220;He keeps an eye on him all the time,8221; adds Kumar.

Grand plans
And while his parents plan to train him in Germany, Shramay points out a couple of weaknesses that need immediate attention. 8220;None of my volleys work.

Every time I end up hitting into the bottom of the net. I also miss a lot of my drop shots,8221; Shramay adds as he gets off the court with a kit bag double his size.

Other final results: Boys u-14: Rahul Singh beat Amitya Aggarwal 7-2; U-12: Shubhankar Bahl beat Amitya Aggarwal 7-2