16-year-old Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi of Coimbatore is emerging as India’s new tennis star today. Maaya performed brilliantly in the ongoing US Open Junior Tournament in America. After giving a tough fight to the world’s second-ranked junior player Hannah Klugman from Great Britain, she played in the main round of her first Grand Slam.
Maaya comes from a humble family background in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, with no sports history in her family. Her father Rajeshwaran used to play cricket and her mother Revathi encouraged her from the beginning. Maya started playing tennis at the age of eight. First, she played in Coimbatore and later Spain’s Rafael Nadal Academy gave her a scholarship. This is the same academy where legendary player Rafael Nadal himself used to practice.
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Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi got the best coaches in the world at the academy. She improved her technique and game there a lot. Due to her hard work, today she is among the top junior players in the world.
When the first round of the US Open started, Revathi surprisingly defeated Zhang Qian Wei from China 7-6, 6-3. This was a huge achievement for her because it was the first time she was playing in the main round of a Grand Slam tournament.
Revathi faced British player Hannah Klugman in the second round. Klugman was ranked No. 5 in the junior rankings and was the second-seeded player of the tournament. Maaya had a good start and won the first set. She troubled Klugman with her strong forehand and accurate backhand.
However, the match went on for a long time and eventually Revathi lost 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 in a tough battle of three sets. Despite the defeat, her game impressed everyone. The match lasted for more than two hours and Revathi fought till the end.
Seeing Maaya’s game, experts are saying that she could be India’s next big tennis star. She is being compared to Sania Mirza. Maaya also believes that Sania is her inspiration. Like her, Maaya also plays big shots and has shown the ability to hold on under pressure.
The coach of the Rafa Nadal Academy says that Revathi has to move forward slowly and at the moment her focus is on long-term preparation. Currently, she is playing in the junior circuit but in the coming time, her strength will be seen at the professional level as well.
Maaya’s dream is to win a medal for India in a Grand Slam and the Olympics. There has been no big name in Indian tennis for a long time. Revathi has proved in the US Open that this dream can be fulfilled in the future.
This is a new ray of hope for the common sports lovers of India. This daughter of Coimbatore is now in the eyes of the world and in the coming years she can make India’s name even higher.
