Earlier this month, Rethin Pranav (17) had probably the most vital second of his teen tennis profession thus far. He received to play in the primary draw of the Australian Open juniors, an improve from enjoying in final 12 months’s qualifying draw of the US Open juniors.
However a left thumb damage he’d sustained in November performed a dampener. Rethin thought he’d sufficiently recovered on time for his milestone occasion and had even gained the primary set 7-5 and was 2-0 up within the second versus the then junior World No. 9 Oskari Paldanius (Finland) within the first spherical. However then, his damage hampered his means to play his backhand, which his opponent exploited to win the match 5-7, 6-4, 6-0.
In a telephonic interview on Friday, Rethin mentioned: “The draw was a bit unfortunate. I received to play with the World No. 9 within the first spherical. It was a very powerful match. I couldn’t play the backhand due to it (his damage). He knew that and dominated the third set. The man I misplaced to performed the semifinals. So, he was a very good opponent. If my hand was advantageous, I may have gained. A bit unfortunate.”
Talking about his total expertise, he mentioned: “It was like a dream come true! I used to be working towards on one courtroom and on the following courtroom, (Novak) Djokovic was working towards!”
Final 12 months, Rethin made it to 5 finals within the ITF junior circuit, profitable two titles. However his most memorable title win was his fairytale end on the males’s Nationals, the place he entered the primary draw as a fortunate loser, in October.
Requested what he thinks he ought to enhance from his final season, he mentioned: “I believe my psychological toughness. Footwork and agility to be sooner on the courtroom. As a result of, when the extent is greater (high-profile competitions), I’ve to be very quick on the courtroom.”
For now, he has been sidelined for a minimum of 4 weeks for full restoration and can miss the Chennai Open ATP Challenger and the Nationals Video games.
Printed – January 27, 2025 12:42 am IST
