Is this the start of what could be the first tennis tag-team from the two states?
Is this the start of what could be the first tennis tag-team from the two states?
Hyderabad: Sania Mirza and Saketh Myneni’s 6-4, 6-3 win over Taiwan’s Peng Hsien-yin and Chan Hao-chin was heartening for sports fans from across the two states.
And for many, 26-year-old Saketh Myneni’s fantastic game on Monday has been a surprise and the big question is who is this guy and is this the start of what could be the first tennis tag-team from the two states?
While Saketh is still in South Korea, Vizag is breaking out in celebration. “He always had that spark in him,” says his first coach P.K. Kishore. “He was around eight when he joined our academy and was with us till he was 14 before he left for Hyderabad. He then moved to US where got a scholarship and continued to hone his tennis skills.
Even as a kid, he had tremendous power even with a flat shot,” says coach Kishore, who now considers himself, “the happiest coach on the planet”.
Meanwhile, Saketh’s classmate from school, Sarat Pavan, says: “In school, Saketh, I and another friend, Arjun were bench mates. We were the naughtiest kids in class and spent most of the time outside the classroom, kneeling down. But he was a bright student and he took part in sports as well.”
“I am really proud that my childhood friend, who was always my partner in ‘crime’, has represented the nation and won the gold,” he adds.
Rahul Ganapati, who played tennis with Saketh says that he always knew that his tennis mate would make it big one day. “Saketh and I played tennis at Learn Tennis Academy almost fifteen years ago. He was very active in the sport and all of us on the court knew that Saketh would represent the nation.
He was always 100 per cent committed towards the sport and our coach would always encourage him saying if he continued with the commitment, he would make it to Wimbledon. Among all of us who trained together, he had the best serve.”
Commenting on how sportspersons from both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana won the gold as one, Rahul says, “Both Sania Mirza and Saketh Myneni are from Andhra Pradesh, though the state has split. I hope more sportspersons from both states represent the nation,” he adds.
Srikantth C. Myneni, a family friend, says, “A Vizagite winning a gold medal in an international arena is a proud moment for Vizag. I feel Saketh is just one step away from the Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games.”
“Saketh has always been a hardworking kid and took tennis seriously. All of us played the sport together, but he took it to another level,” he says, adding, “Saketh reached this level with his parents’ support. He was even sent to New York and other parts of the world for training. His parents’ support is laudable.”
( Source : dc )
Next Story
