Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi looks to find her feet on clay at Junior French Open

New Delhi: India has two teenagers honing their skills in Europe at two prestigious tennis academies. There is 18-year-old Manas Dhamne at the Piatti Tennis Academy, which built, among others, Jannik Sinner. At the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain, 16-year-old Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi is hoping to pave her path to future success.

Once someone who enjoyed playing on slow hard courts, Revathi has started to embrace clay as well. She's already played seven tournaments on the red dirt this season with two semi-final finishes and a J300 title in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France.

She would continue to put those learnings to test at the Junior French Open in Paris from May 31.

"I think when the physical part develops, I think you will like to play on clay a lot. Generally. Because the fact that I am based in Europe, I have been training on clay a bit more than I did back earlier in my career. I think the more that I train on a certain surface, I feel more belonged to that surface," said the ITF 27th ranked Maaya in a virtual interaction facilitated by the Sports Authority of India (SAI).


"To be honest, I don't mind playing on any surface. Because as long as I step on court and I am ready to compete and I am there to fight it out, I think I am happy to play on any surface. And the fact that the experience that I have gained in the last year playing multiple tournaments in multiple places, so many surfaces, I think it's just that it's a matter of how you want to get on court and play more than the surface," she continued.

When she steps up to the court in the French capital, it will be her fifth appearance in a junior major. Her best performance came last year at the US Open, where she reached the second round.

These are small steps before the 16-year-old from Coimbatore takes the giant leap towards the senior circuit. Aiding that effort are sponsors and the Government of India under Target Asian Games Group (TAGG) scheme where she's received Rs 55.13 lakh. It, however, remains a delicate balance between exposure and growth. The signs of potential were visible earlier in the year when she reached the semifinals of the Mumbai Open WTA 125.

“Our idea at the beginning of the year was that Maaya plays as many matches as possible, competes a lot and gets comfortable with her game. She has a very big game. So, we want her to develop that even more and to have that confidence in matches," explained coach Polina Radeva, who travels with the Indian youngster for tournaments.

"We started with the junior events in Australia, then she played a couple of ITF events in India. And our idea was to stick with the junior tour and see how that goes. Because if you finish with a good ranking in juniors, the following year, you get a head start. You get some direct entrances into professional events. That’s our goal. That is one of the reasons why we’re doing so many junior events."

"The ultimate objective is to transition to the pro tour. The life of a tennis player is unpredictable. Sometimes we cancel events and go back to training," continued the player-turned-coach Radeva.

'Focus on what I have to do'

File photo of Indian tennis player Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi. (Instagram)

Much like Dhamne, Revathi, too, has a clarity of thought well beyond her years. She's got the likes of fellow teenagers Iva Jovic, Lilli Tagger, Alina Korneeva, and Emerson Jones to look up to in the top-150 WTA rankings. Instead, the focus remains firmly on herself.

"I think we're moving in a very fast competing environment that at the moment I'm just focused on what I have to do and what will make me feel best on court when I'm competing and whatever works for me. I think it's solely based on me and to figure out how I want to be on court more than replicating someone else," she stated.

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