Meet Maaya Revathi, India’s rising tennis sensation! Fresh off a dominant tournament victory on home soil, Maaya sat down with us to discuss her recent success, her training at the Rafa Nadal Academy, and her aspirations to compete in the Junior Grand Slams. Hear from this talented young athlete about her strategic approach to the game, her evolving strengths, and the unwavering support she receives from her coach, her family, and her passionate Indian fans.
Interviewer: Congratulations on the win, Maaya. That was a fantastic match. And you’ve played this opponent in Mexico just quite recently and lost to her narrowly. What turned it around for you today? You were totally dominant, especially in the third set.
Maaya Revathi: So the first thing is that in Mexico, I did lose in the third set. It wasn’t a straight-set match. I took a lot from the match. I learned. And the same coach was with me there, and he helped me get through the match. Even before the match, we had a proper plan. So I guess I did that in the first set.
Second set, I should have closed it out, but I mean, she did so well. And I also held back too much, maybe the finishing nerves. But third set, I was like, I took the risk and it worked, and I’m so happy with that.
Interviewer: Fantastic. It’s been a great tournament so far. You’re in the final, you’ve beaten a couple of seeded players. How are the conditions here? Are you enjoying the conditions?
Maaya Revathi: I’ve always loved… I mean, playing in your home soil is just hits different, you know? And I played the Fenesta finals here. That was a good week too. And especially playing in the first tourney with the Indian crowd cheering up, that’s just a different experience that I really love to play in front of them.
And I would also like to thank them for, you know, being there today and supporting me. And I guess that also made a difference. It really boosted me up in the 3rd set.
Interviewer: So you’ve just recently joined the Rafa Nadal Academy. And I could hear the coach behind me. He’s from that academy, I think. So how has it been transitioning to having a traveling coach with you? I mean, it’s amazing that he’s come all the way here.
Maaya Revathi: Yeah. So first of all, I want to be based in Europe, and I was so glad that the Rafa Nadal Academy took me in. And they’re just so good because I have a coach who’s been working with me for the last three months. He knows me very well, and I’m really happy that he’s traveling because it’s so… so far… India so far. And happy that he’s traveling. And I’m really grateful to have him here.
Interviewer: Yeah, is it easy to understand him? I… I had trouble.
Maaya Revathi: Okay. I’m used to it. I’m used to it.
Interviewer: Okay. So in terms of… of surfaces, do you prefer playing on the hard courts?
Maaya Revathi: Well, generally I do love playing on slow hard because these courts are quite slow because they resurfaced it and everything. But, yeah, fast courts… I’m not a fan of it. I love playing in red clay, the European clay, because I’m a good mover, so I can really get around to all the balls and… But I still love the slow hard courts.
Interviewer: Okay. Because one of the things I noticed today was your volleying. I noticed your volleying was pretty good in the Fenesta final as well, but you had some beautiful drop volleys too. Have you been working on the volley a bit more?
Maaya Revathi: I did, but that was also one of the things that I didn’t do last time. I was hitting really good shots, but I was staying back. And we were playing on clay last time and she was putting it back, and I have to go back every… and restarting the point every single time. So I thought last time didn’t work, so why not take the chance this time? And I’m happy that I did. I confidently went for it and it worked.
Interviewer: But is… is the net game an important part of your game anyway?
Maaya Revathi: Wasn’t that important earlier, but I was so short earlier to let you know. But now I’ve been growing tall so much and everything, so I’m pretty confident to go to the net. The fact that I’ve got a big forehand, I can really hit that shot and go to the net, because even if I lose a couple of points, I win 80% of the points.
Interviewer: Your backhand is pretty… pretty sizzling as well, not just your forehand. So in terms of the second serve, do you think that’s a… that’s a little bit of a weakness that you need to work on?
Maaya Revathi: I should be working on, actually. We have changed my serve, so I’m still working on the serve, but glad that it got me all the way to the finals. Didn’t my serve… didn’t let me down this whole week.
Interviewer: Your first serve is… is absolutely fantastic. I think it’s a fabulous first serve. It’s got tremendous power, but it’s really only the second serve. But what I find interesting is that even when you have a weak second serve, your next shot is, you know, just gets you back into the…
Maaya Revathi: Yeah, I can neutralize the shot well so that, you know, if I’m back in the point, I have a higher chance.
Interviewer: Okay, so what are your plans for the year ahead? Are you planning to try and play the Slams, the Slam juniors?
Maaya Revathi: That’s my main goal. I want to play the Junior Slams this year and I play Chandigarh next week and I go back home for two weeks. I just need some time at home.
Interviewer: Sure. Going to be with your family in the next two weeks. Congratulations, Maaya. I’m really amazed at your game.
Maaya Revathi: Thank you.