Pune, India — Pratik Navin, the promising junior player from Australia, is in India for his first tournament appearance in the country. After a breakthrough season that saw him climb hundreds of spots in the junior rankings, Indian Tennis Daily caught up with him in Pune to discuss his successful year, his unique training environment, and his ambitious goals for the next season.
Reviewing the “Roller Coaster” Season
Indian Tennis Daily (ITD): Hey Pratik, thank you so much for talking to Indian Tennis Daily. You had a good 2025 so far in singles with one title and two finals. How do you review your season?
Pratik Navin (PN): I’m very good, thank you for taking the time to interview me. I feel my season’s been very good. I’ve gained a lot of confidence from it. I started off just under a thousand, closer to 900, and now I’m sitting in the top 500 juniors. It’s been a hell of a roller coaster of a year.
ITD: That’s significant progress.
PN: The way that I’ve gotten through it, with the support of my parents, my coaches, and my school, it’s been really good. So we hope to continue that momentum.
Training and Adapting to India
ITD: Can you share more details about your coaching setup? Where do you train, and who makes up your support team?
PN: I train in Brisbane, Australia, which is more of a tropical place. My coaches actually work at my school, so it’s very easy for me to manage court access and everything. For physio, the school allows me to use their services whenever I want. When I’m coming back from two or three weeks of back-to-back tournaments, I can get acupuncture or anything done with them for recovery.
ITD: This is your first time in India for a tournament, and it’s supposed to be peak winter! What do you think about the playing conditions here in Pune?
PN: It’s very hot! It’s very different to Australia. The air is a bit thicker, so that’s why I decided to arrive a bit earlier to get adjusted. I didn’t want to go out or pass out in my first round! But I enjoy the conditions. They’re very fast, and the balls, they like to fly a lot, so it suits my game a lot.
Future Goals: Top 150 and College
ITD: What are your tennis goals for the next season, 2026?
PN: My tennis goals are to hopefully be able to hit Top 150 in juniors. If I can continue having an even better year than this year, I want to try and get into at least two of the four Junior Grand Slams. And hopefully, overall, get into a good college program.
⚡️ Quick Volley with Pratik Navin
| Question | Pratik’s Answer |
| Your Hobbies? | I like music, so I like to play the flute a lot. It’s a nice, calming activity. And I like to meditate a lot. |
| Favorite Travel Destination (General)? | Africa, just to see the animals in the wild. That’s something I haven’t seen. |
| A Place You Have Not Been To, But Would Love to Visit? | Hawaii. |
| Favorite Tournament Amongst the Ones You’ve Played? | The one in Thailand. I like the warm weather, great food, great tourism, and really nice people. |
| Favorite Cuisine and Dish? | Cuisine: Italian. Dish: A classic Pizza. |
| A Song on Repeat Mode? | “One Dance” by Drake. |
| Favorite Movie or Show? | How I Met Your Mother. |
| Dream Opponent? | Sasha Zverev (Alexander Zverev). |
| A Loss That Hurt You The Most? | My final in Fiji. After winning the first set and losing the next sets and tiebreaks, that hurt me quite a bit. |
| Your Most Satisfying Win? | The win of my first title, definitely. |
| Your Favorite Grand Slam? | Roland Garros (French Open). |