Tennis champ wins academic grand slam

CHANDIGARH: Scoring an ace in the classroom, Garry Singh, a tennis player who enjoys a world junior rank of 800, got 73% in Class XII (art) examinations, the results of which were declared on Monday morning. Busy touring the world throughout the year, this student of DAV Model School-15 had returned to India after winning a team gold in Dubai just a month before taking the exams.
The budding player wants to represent India like the Bhupati-Paes duo and said balancing studies with tennis proved to be quite a challenge. ''The entire year went into practice and I did not even get time to attend classes. In fact, special lectures were arranged for the sportspersons,'' Garry said.
Son of a tennis coach, the teenager got fascinated with the game when he was still a boy. ''Though tennis is my priority, I have never let studies suffer,'' he added.
Talking about the hectic tour just before the boards, he said, ''I had gone to Dubai for CBSE nationals and we emerged champs there. But by the time we returned in February, there was no time left for studies.''
Garry's father Kawaljeet Singh, who is the director of All India Tennis Coaching Association, said, ''My son is an example for parents who believe that sports has to be put on the backburner when it comes to academics.''
Garry wants to move to United States for training and is looking for scholarships. ''I want to get the best coaching and academic opportunity,'' he signed off.