New Delhi
The felicitations accorded to Yuki Bhambri since his return as the Australian Open junior champion must have reached triple digits by now. On Friday, at yet another of those, he had Ramesh Krishnan for company, and the Indian tennis legend would probably see a bit of himself in the 16-year-old. A junior Slam, the No 1 ranking — Krishnan has been there and done all that, and as Yuki readies for tougher challenges ahead, the former Indian Davis Cup captain had a few words of advice for him. “Yuki has done very well already, but there is still a lot he can achieve. The transition from the junior to the senior circuit is a tough one, and he will have to start playing a mix of tournaments on both tours. Play a lot of tennis, basically,” said Krishnan. “On the men’s tour, it is very important to keep pace with the other players, and so one will have to learn fast. The key will be to play a lot of matches and develop quickly.
Support system
“Though tennis is an individual sport, the kind of team you have is also vital. Yuki has a good one and an excellent support system so that’s a big advantage for him.”
Yuki is coached by Aditya Sachdev at the Siri Fort Sports Complex.
For his part, complacency is far from Yuki’s mind. The Delhi player acknowledges his Slam win as a big one and the fulfilment of a dream. But the road ahead is one fraught with several bigger possibilities.
“This is just the beginning, I have a long way to go. It’ll take at least two-three years before I can start finding my feet on the senior circuit, and I’m working on my fitness. I know I need to work on getting more strength, and I have hired a nutritionist,” he said.
