Adil Kalyanpur, Mahak set for French sojourn

Bengaluru lad Adil Kalyanpur shot into limelight when he clinched the boys’ title at the Rendez-Vous à Roland-Garros India leg, a tournament that put him in reckonening to earn a wild card for the junior French Open.

Kalyanpur, along with girls’ champion Mahak Jain, will now travel to Paris to fight it out with the world’s top junior players for a place in the main draw of the junior Grand Slam. The national finals event will begin on May 19.

“I am preparing hard for the tournament. I am going to Paris a few days early to train on the European clay courts. I am trying to relieve myself of all expectations. I find that when I play with a fighting attitude and desire, my best tennis comes out. I am going to give it my best shot and hopefully make my country proud,” Kalyanpur told this paper on Tuesday.

The 16-year-old, who was competing at the Asian junior tennis championships in Pune this week, has begun to make his mark in the junior tennis circuit. He was a vital cog for the Indian team, who qualified for the Junior Davis Cup World Group after five years.

“Playing for my country was an honour. The junior Davis Cup this year has been the most prestigious tournament of my life. It was a fabulous experience and my best tennis came out. I am looking forward to the world stage.

“My recent results have been very good. Winning the Rendez-Vous à Roland-Garros was the icing on the cake. These kinds of opportunities do not come everyday so when they do come, you should make the most of it,” said Kalyanpur, who won the doubles title at the 2014 Road to Wimbledon national finals in London.

Son of Arjun Kalyanpur, a radiologist, and Sunita Maheshwari, a paediatric cardiologist, Kalyanpur got tennis racquets as a present on his ninth birthday and soon sport became his life.

“The first time I walked on a court during the vacations near my house, I did not want to leave. It was kind of love at first sight.

“My aim is to keep working hard. I would like to build my world junior ranking so that I can play the junior Grand Slams by the end of the year. On the other hand, I am hoping to start playing more and more senior tournaments. The main goal is to stay fit and healthy,” said Adil, who idolises world no. 1 Novak Djokovic.

Indore girl Mahak, who was introduced to tennis at the age of six, said she will leave no stone unturned in her quest to bag a wild card at the junior French Open.

“I am trying to improve all aspects of my game and preparing hard for the event. Most importantly I want to play my best tennis irrespective of the outcome,” said the 15-year-old, who is a class IXth student.

She was all praise for coach Sajid Lodi, but rued lack of exposure and tournaments in India for the juniors.

“My coach Sajid and his team are providing me all kinds of facilities and support which I feel is good. My coach is focused and is helping me improve my game.

“World class exposure to competition is a question mark as there are not many high grade ITF junior tournaments in India. I wish there could be a couple of Grade 1s. I need to test myself against the best and see where I stand.”

Asked about her aim for the year, she said, “I want to improve my game in all aspects to compete against the best. I expect to be inside top 50 in the ranking by the year end.”