While Sumit Nagal continues to play a starring role in reviving the lost glory of singles tennis in India, his rise isn’t the only act that renews our hope and interest in singles. Among the #NextGen of Indians – players aged 21-and-under – a number of players have been battling it out at the ITF Futures circuit, stringing wins every week to boost their ascent up the rankings.
Not least of them, Aryan Shah, has let his racket paint a series of impressive results over the last couple of months. Five consecutive quarter finals have led to a title and a runner-up finish in singles. His run at last week’s M25 Hillcrest event ended with a heartbreaking 6-4 6-7(3) 4-6 loss, when victory seemed to be a clear outcome. Aryan led by a set and a break (6-4 4-3) before his opponent, 20-year-old Devin Badenhorst staged a comeback.
Following the match, we had a chance to chat with the 18-year-old about his goals, his life on tour, his game, his family, and a lot more. Here are the excerpts:
Q: You sometimes get tight when you’re leading in a match – be it by a set or a break, including the loss to Badenhorst. Is it purely a mental thing or do you need to fix your game as well to get over it?
Aryan: I think it’s a part of the game. In crucial moments, experience kicks in. When I’m leading and I lose a point, I get stuck and it becomes difficult to move on. This has been bothering me a lot. But that’s how I can learn. It’s a journey; a step-by-step process. Tennis is a cruel sport. If I’m irresponsible at a particular moment and don’t let go of the past, that’s gonna result in my defeat. About the Badenhorst match – full credit to him for coming back and winning. But I did feel like the better player and I should’ve closed it out 6-4 6-4.
Q: Since this is your first full year on the pro circuit, you’ve been playing a lot more ITF Futures events compared to the previous years. The results show you’ve got to a good start. What do you think about the level shift you had to make compared to Juniors?
Aryan: I used to play a lot of junior tournaments, where I had a decent ranking. The transition period from Juniors to pro is about how well you balance it mentally. The pro players deal with pressure better. I think I’ve managed it well so far but I have to work more on it. At the moment, I’m very confident in my game. I’m pulling off good wins against players ranked higher than me. If I’d won last week, it’d have been more of a confidence booster for me, because a $25k title is a big thing. But I just want to keep my head up, work hard, and then… fingers crossed.
Q: So, do you set goals in front of you? Do you want to see yourself achieve a certain ranking by the end of this year?
Aryan: I’m around #750 in the world right now (#675 in live rankings), but I want to play more Challengers once I get into the top 600 or top 500. I believe an athlete should have a set goal. If you don’t have a goal, you won’t be focused on the court. I don’t think that’s the case with me, since I have a particular goal in mind. I don’t want to rush, but right now, I feel like I can be in the top 300 by the end of this year. I’m still 18, so I want to go with the flow, so let’s see what the future has in store for me.
Also, I want to win a medal at the Olympics for India. I’m confident if I work hard enough, I can get to that level where I can make it big at the Grand Slams and Davis Cup as an Indian.
Q: That can get you in the qualifying spots for some ATP 250s as well.
Aryan: Yeah, I don’t want to take unnecessary stress on myself. If it comes to me naturally, then it’s fine. It’s good to have a goal, but I can’t keep on rubbing that.
Q: Do you have a set schedule for the rest of the year to help you achieve that goal?
Aryan: I’ll go home after my South African tour. I travelled to Jamaica also before this, and I’ve played 6 or 7 tournaments in the last 2 months. I’ll sit with my coach and my parents and assess my recovery. I’ve planned a few tournaments and will discuss with them on the next steps.
Q: Coming back to the shift to the Futures tour – there have been players you’ve practised with or played against during both your junior days and this year. How do you reckon your improvement has gone over the last year-and-a-half compared to them?
Aryan: I think my game and my mentality has improved a lot over the last 18 months. I’m more stable on the court mentally, that has helped me more than the technical part of the game. At the end of the day, what matters is how you deal with yourself on the court. Because, everybody can hit a decent forehand and a backhand.
And yeah, I think there are a lot of players in my age group, who are playing at a much higher level than me. I played Joao Fonseca at the Australian Open Boys’ Singles last year, and he’s already been doing well at the ATP circuit! But, you know, he grabbed the opportunities he got with both hands, and performed at a much higher level.
Q: Do you think being a player from India, you miss out on opportunities at bigger tournaments that can give you a boost in the ranking? We don’t have the ATP 250 anymore, either.
Aryan: In India, it depends on where the 250 will be held. (laughs) If it’s in my state, I’ll be the top contender to get a wild card. Like how Manas (Dhamne) got the opportunity to play the Pune 250 last year. Even though he lost, he had the experience of playing against the top guys. But that 250 has also been scrapped. So, I hope we get more big events in India, because it’ll be easier to travel and will be more economical as well.
We’ve got 8-10 Futures and 4 Challengers over the season. Since I performed well on the Junior circuit (career high ranking of 39 in the world), I feel a little annoyed that I didn’t get any wild card at the Challengers. But that made me work harder, so that I can get my ranking up and don’t have to ask for wild cards.
Q: You’ve trained at the Piatti Academy. Have you had a chance to train with Manas Dhamne, who also trains there? Or, have you had hitting sessions with the younger crop of Indian players like Yuvan, for example?
Aryan: When I was at the Piatti Academy for a couple of weeks before Wimbledon last year, I got a chance to practise with Stan Wawrinka and Felix (Auger-Aliassime). That was a great experience. I didn’t get a chance to play with Manas there. But, I’ve had great hitting sessions with Yuvan and Manas, who used to be my doubles partner as well for a long time.
Q: What do you think is the biggest difference between how Stan and other top players from Europe approach the game, and how Indians approach the game?
Aryan: They stick to the basics in everything they do. They’re accurate in whatever they’re doing at all times. While as Indians, we do know how to play tennis – we get great results in doubles, physically we’re much behind. If you see Sumit (Nagal), he’s one of the fittest players on tour and he’s at the peak of his career right now. For us to succeed at a higher level, we need to work on the physical aspect of our game.
Q: Sumit built a career playing more on clay than other surfaces. Would you say playing on clay helps in building the stamina and physicality required to make it big?
Aryan: It varies according to the player. I’ve practised on Indian clay for two years, but I feel like Indian clay is not real clay, per se. Playing on European red clay definitely helps with movement and stability on the court. It’s not hard on the knees. But, you have to grind a lot and run all around the court to build the points. Personally, I prefer hard courts over clay. I’ve got a love-hate relationship with the clay, since I do have to play a lot of events on that surface to get to a higher ranking.
Q: Let’s talk about your favourite player. Is there someone you’ve modelled your game on?
Aryan: From the beginning, Roger Federer has been my tennis idol. And even Pete Sampras! Their games were so soothing to the eyes, I love how they’d rush towards the net.
As a player, I don’t like to replicate anyone in terms of technique. But I do try to learn from them (Federer and Sampras) in terms of mentality and tactics. I’m not close to being calm on court, but I try to be. (laughs) Roger was an all-court player, and seeing his aggressive game on TV helped me a lot. Sampras’ posture and aura is also something I look up to. I like to play an aggressive baseline game, I feel like I have good hands, so I try to attack the net as much as I can.
Q: What are your strengths and weaknesses, game wise?
Aryan: Like I said, I’m an aggressive baseliner. I like to keep points short and take time away from the opponent. And, I’d say my biggest weapon is my brain.
Q: Earlier, you had mentioned your parents and coach. Does your family and coach travel with you a lot?
Aryan: I started playing tournaments when I was 12. Ever since then, I’ve never travelled alone… my parents are really strict about that! I travelled with them till I was 15. After that, my coach Swapnil Desai travelled with me. But I’m not allowed to travel alone until I’m 21! But it’s comfortable to travel with family and coach, I don’t like travelling alone and staying away from the people I know for so many weeks.
Q: Clearly, you’ve got supportive parents. But, how would you describe your experience growing up as a tennis player in a country where tennis isn’t very popular? How much help have you received from sponsors and the associations?
Aryan: I feel like (tennis not being very popular in India) is the fun part of playing tennis. The competition is less, and there aren’t too many players at the top. So that gives me extra motivation to work hard and reach the top to be in the public eye. It’s challenging, but it is fun. I’ve always wanted to play an outdoor sport. And I started playing tennis very early.
My parents have been very supportive financially and morally. My dad has been my only sponsor till now! That’s a bit unfortunate, since tennis is an expensive sport. But hopefully that’ll change.
Q: One last question, Aryan. Your results prove that you’ve got a grip on the Futures circuit in the Caribbean and Africa. But do you have plans of playing in North America and Europe – the ‘tennis hub’ – in the coming weeks?
Aryan: Well, you can’t take away the fact that there are many decent players outside of North America and Europe. But definitely, I want to improve my ranking and give it a shot at those places. Once I get to the top 400, I’ll feel like I have conquered the rest of the places and it’s time to play in Europe.
Q: Thanks a lot for your time, Aryan. Let’s hope it happens soon!
Aryan: Thank you to you, too.