The reason: He believes in the saying that `First impressions are the last impressions.' And to this effect, the Pune boy does not want to let go of the opportunity and the faith that the All India Tennis Association (AITA) has shown in him in by selecting him as part of the four member junior (U-18) Indian tennis squad for the World Youth Games 1998 at Moscow (Russia) from July 9 to 21. Most of the tennis playing countries are expected to participate in this tournament.

For Kedar, the call from AITA hold special significance for two reasons. This is for the first time that this 18-year-old will be representing India in an ITF tournament and secondly, he is especially happy to have achieved all that he is today in a span of just four-and-a-half years of taking up the game.

Kedar, teamed up with India's number one junior player Manoj Mahadevan (Madras), and alongwith G Shital and Shruti Dhavan (both DHATIA) will embark on his 12-day tour to Moscow on July 6 from Delhi.

``This is my first opening to play for the country and I have been practicing very hard to prove myself,'' says the confident player. He is well aware of the level of competition and asserts that he is physically as well as mentally fit to take up any challenges.

``Coach Nandal Bal and M Balchandran have helped me on mending my weaknesses and I am hoping for a good performance in Moscow,'' he says, the excitement obvious in his voice.

Kedar's tennis life had a quite late start. A lover of almost every sport, after trying out all the team and individual games during his school days in Abhinav English Medium, he was still not satisfied. After consulting his father Mohan Tembe, Kedar, then a 13-year-old kid, joined a tennis coaching scheme run by Jayant Khade at Fergusson College. And to analyse what he learned he participated in a few local meets where, to his surprise, he was quite satisfied with his results. Being a left-hander was also a definite advantage here.

Kedar continued with the scheme and with a new-found confidence that grew every day, the boy who had by now entered his second year in BMCC junior, was soon seen on the competitive circuits. His performance at the AITA under-14 tournament (1995) at Ahmedabad, where he defeated most of the seeds to reach the final and finished as runners-up to Manoj Mahadevan, impressed former Davis Cupper Nandan Bal. Consequently, Kedar was immediately summoned by the Batra Tennis Centre to join them.

Since then, Kedar has proved his skills on the national scene many a times, all helping him earn fifth place in the AITA sub-junior ranking list and place him first in the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association ratings list. He also has 95 ITF points to his credit, which he believes was what got him the selection call from AITA.

But, Kedar's hunger is still not appeased, ``I want to achieve something creditable. Something that people will remember!'' The aspiration may seem high-flown, but in these four-and-a-half years this young tennis player has proved that for him no dream can be too high, no goal too far! If hard work and skill can make things work out, Kedar is a sure shot winner, because he has it all!