BENGALURU:
Adil Kalyanpur
, 17, one of India’s top juniors, is training at tennis legend
Rafael Nadal’s academy in Mallorca, Spain. Adil, 6 ft 3’ and still growing, caught the eye of the superstar Spaniard when playing the junior circuit in Paris.
The academy, managed by the 14-time Grand Slam champion’s uncle and coach Toni, will prepare the Bengaluru teen for the men’s tour in which he’ll start competing shortly.
Adil is the son of city-based pediatric cardiologist Dr Sunita Maheshwari and radiologist Dr Arjun Kalyanpur, the founders of Teleradiology Solutions. His older sister Alisha is studying medicine.
“Adil laughs that he’s the odd one out in the family,” says Dr Arjun. The family started watching tennis seriously only after Adil took to the sport. “It’s a different experience for us too. We as doctors can’t afford to lose a patient, but Adil has to get used to losing a game. But traits like passion, hard work, dedication are similar in every endeavour,” says Dr Sunita.
The Bengaluru boy has embraced the opportunity. “Training at the Rafa Nadal academy is about quality over quantity. There’s a perfect mix of tennis and fitness which suits me well. I get to work with many world-class coaches, including Toni Nadal himself. The coaching method gels well with me as it’s highly demanding, but in a kind way. I feel like I’m being pushed outside my comfort zone, but not to the point of exhaustion,” notes Adil in an email interview from Mallorca.
Adil has trained with 29-year-old Nadal a few times at the academy and says it’s an eye-opener to share the court with the legend. “The intensity with which he trains and the attitude he has towards hitting each ball to its maximum potential is something I really admire and I’m working towards,” says Adil.
Adil has enrolled in the National Institute of Open Schooling, but sports has been his biggest teacher so far. “Tennis has taught me so many things. It’ s like the school of life,” he says. “You learn about how to handle victories and losses, friends and competitors. Tennis has made me the person I am today and I am truly thankful for that. You have to work hard on the court as well, but there are so many positives.”
Adil, who could feature in the remaining three junior Grand Slams of the year – French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open – says, “I see myself in the top 100 in the world (men) within the next five years. I hope to represent India in
Davis Cup in the coming years and, hopefully, qualify for the 2020 Olympics.”
Adil’s first coach Rajni Ravindran, who runs TAMS Academy, in Bengaluru, says, “It’s his tremendous passion for tennis that has got him where he is.”
Adil misses home, but he doesn’t let that get in the way. “I have an Indian flag and a picture of my family wherever I am in the world and that’s all the inspiration and comfort I need,” he finished.
Ice cream and motivationIt all began when Adil was just five-and-a-half years old and was sent to TAMS Academy near his house. One day Adil returned home and said he won’t continue with tennis as someone pinched him at the academy. “We told him it’s your choice. But two days later his coach Rajni Ravindran called us and asked why Adil hadn’t turned up. She came home and took him out for ice cream and the child was all happy and back to the game. It’s this episode that became a turning point in his career,” recalls Dr Sunita.
Many milestones* At 11, he won the prestigious Little Mo International Tournament at the
IMG-Bollettieri Academy
in Bradenton, Florida
* Ranked #1 in India in the boys’ under 12 category in 2012
* In Feb 2016 he won the Road to
Roland Garros
tournament, organized by the French Tennis Federation in association with AITA
* In April 2016, when chosen to represent India on the Junior Davis Cup team, as the country’s No.1 junior, he helped the team make it to the World Group after a gap of five years