Rendez-vouz with Adil Kalyanpur

Fresh after his recent feat at the Rendez-Vous a Roland Garros at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA) early this February, 16-year-old ace tennis player Adil Kalyanpur is a star on the rise. We caught up with this Bengaluru-based young champ, just as he readies for the grand finale in May this year. Reminiscing when he first picked up the racket at the age of five, Adil tells us that sports always had a huge role to play in his childhood.

“Sports was a big part of the extra curricular activities at the Inventure Academy, and so I was trained to be outdoorsy and active at a very early age. Fortunately, I started out with playing tennis when I was in upper Kindergarten, and realised that I was quite good at it and was enrolled at the Tennis and Other Sports Academy (TAMS),” pipes the youngster, who was ranked no.1 in the country at the boys’ under-12 category in 2012. Fast forward to two years; Adil had left an indelible mark with his stellar performance at the Wimbledon’14, only to come home with the doubles title. Speaking about his latest victory at the India leg of the Rendez-vous a Roland Garros, Adil remarks that it was the experience that proved to be the biggest takeaway from the event. “I’m grateful for being to be at the right place at the right time. Incidentally, I gave it my all, and it worked in my favour.”

While his illustrious stint with Tennis, with about 38 single titles and 29D double titles to his credit, might have brought him in the limelight, Adil divulges about his lesser known interests. “I’m actually a self taught magician on the side. And, I play poker online during my training periods to keep my competitive spirit going. Since I currently pursue open schooling, I actually get a lot of time to do things I love. And I also believe people must make time for what they love in addition to what they do regularly!”

Attributing parental support as the most integral factor behind his fledgling career, the young tennis star, with a current AITA ranking of 4, says, “My support system is my biggest inspiration. So many people have played such huge parts to get me to this stage. My parents, my sister and my coach Vishal Uppal have been with me through thick and thin. They keep me grounded and grateful.”

Quiz him about his expectations for the forthcoming finale, and prompt comes the reply, “I’m continuing my preparation for the playoffs. A few ITF junior tournaments and ATT men’s competitions are on the cards. I’m planning to go to Paris a few days early and train on the clay courts as there are a few differences in the surface compared to India. I’m not entirely focused on winning the wild card. I’m going there with absolutely zero expectations.  I’m not a planner, on the court and off it, so I’d rather things take its course!”