It's not just cricket anymore for sporty Indian kids as the young lot here are trying their hand at different sports. None so glaringly popular than tennis as CBSE National lawn Tennis Championship, a national-level tournament staged for U-14 and U-19 kids, has attracted participation of kids in large numbers.
Kanishk Pal, a 17-year-old participant from MM Pubic School Pitampura, is one such example. The youngster will baffle you with the kind of deep knowledge he possesses about the sport.
His favourite player is not Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer nor Novak Djokovic but Juan Martin del Potro. When asked the reason behind his unique choice, he says, "I think he is mentally very strong. To suffer from so many injuries, then make a comeback and eventually beat top-ranked players speaks so much about his mental strength. So whenever I lose match, I take inspiration from his story and try to bounce back."
likewise, Nitin Kumar Sinha, ranked second in AITA U-18 boys sounds like a gentleman of the game. No wonder he likes Djokovic. "I feel my playing style resembles to that of Novak. He is solid from behind. Me too," said the boy from little Angels Sonepat.
Meanwhile, Divya, 17, from Amity International School was another kid on the block sounding confident on her strengths. Though she lost the match 1-6, she revealed her predominantly attacking game would not wane down anytime soon. "I think my strength is groundstrokes but today was not just my day. I went for my shots but it resulted in a lot unforced errors. But, I don't regret the loss as this is the way I play," reveals the supremely confident girl.
A tournament organised by CBSE, Billabong High International School plays host to this league which kicked off on Thursday.
School director, Jasmine Gandhi, admitted tennis' rising popularity in her school.