Nitin Kumar Sinha is one of the promising names to look out for as an Indian tennis fan. With a career high ITF Junior ranking of 89, and the Asian Junior Championships title to boot, Nitin has always impressed everyone with his grit and game. He also represented India at the Junior Australian Open and the Junior US Open in 2017
Speaking on the sidelines of the ITF M15 Indore Futures event starting on March 9 at the Indore Tennis Club, Nitin gives insights into his pro circuit transition, his game, how he utilized his free time during the lockdown, and much more
(About The Author – Vishakha is a massive Federer (& Tennis) fan based in Indore. She has written for leading tennis publications such as Last Word On Sports & SportzCosmos in the past. She is an exceptional artist as well, and likes to create doodles during her free time while listening to old-timey music)
Excerpts below
Q) You had a fairly successful junior career. How would you describe your transition to the pro circuit?
You need to be a little more mature when you are making a transition to the senior circuit. You have to work on your game and not think about just winning and losing. Thatโs the key. Iโm getting used to it slowly. I think Iโm moving forward, in the right direction, with every tournament
Q) What are a few aspects in your game that you need to improve in order to match up to the Top 500 players and beyond?
For me, personally, my serve. I need to get a few more free points on my serve. Thatโs what I am working on, as well. Thatโs one area I think I need to improve upon. Otherwise, I feel I am ready to take on those guys
Q) You didnโt start playing on the ITF circuit until very recently. What are a few hurdles you faced in terms of scheduling & tournament participation during the covid period?
It was a little tough when the lockdown started. I was actually playing the singles quarters and doubles semis in the Calcutta Futures when the tournament had to be halted mid-week due to the pandemic. So it was a little tough in the beginning as no one knew when we would be able to play again. But it was good in a way, since I got to train a lot. I think I used the time well to practise.
The first three months I was just at home doing fitness. Then I started playing Tennis when the lockdown got a little relaxed. I trained for 5-6 months and I think I improved a lot during those 5-6 months. I think everyone improved a lot as they got to train a lot
Q) What will your schedule look like post the Indian series of Futures events?
Thereโs nothing much on the calendar yet. Next week is the Nationals in Gurugram and then two weeks of Futures in Pune & New Delhi. After that, Iโll probably look to travel outside India for Futures events
Q) What are your goals for this year? And what would be your long term, say five-year, goal?
As of now, thereโs no goal in terms of rankings. I just want to play well and I feel that having ranking goals can put unnecessary pressure. I mean thatโs good in a way but I feel that it doesnโt help me. So I just want to play good tennis and compete well.
But the long term goal obviously is to crack the Top 100, play Grand Slam qualies and play the Grand Slam main draws
Few photos from Nitin’s practice session ahead of the ITF M15 Indore Futures :
