Young tennis stars hope international success can inspire community
Aishi Das represented New Zealand at the Billie Jean King Cup in Pune, India. (Maharashtra State Tennis Association)
Young tennis stars want more Kiwi-Indians to take up the sport.
Two of New Zealand's up-and-coming tennis stars are encouraging more people from the Indian community to take up the sport.
Auckland-based players Aishi Das and Yashwitha Reddy said while interest in tennis among Indian New Zealanders had grown in recent years, it lagged behind more popular sports such as cricket and badminton.
They hoped their success on the international stage would inspire more young players of Indian heritage to pick up a racket.
Das, 17, recently returned from the ITF J500 tournament in Osaka, Japan, where she advanced to the third round.
The ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors feature six levels of competition: J500, J300, J200, J100, J60 and J30 - each providing young athletes with valuable match-play experience, ITF world ranking points and the chance to showcase their skills on a global stage.
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Aishi Das says competing internationally has taught her valuable lessons in life. (Maharashtra State Tennis Association)
Das has won tournaments this year, including the J100 in Wellington and the J60 in Ashburton, where she defeated Lani Chang, daughter of men's Grand Slam champion Michael Chang, in the final.
She currently holds an ITF Junior ranking of 138, a WTA ranking of 1284, and is ranked number one in New Zealand in the under-18 category.
"It's been great - I've had so many experiences and opportunities through tennis," said Das, who began playing when she was seven years old after her father introduced her to the sport.
Born in Auckland to parents from Punjab and Kolkata, Das said she was proud of her Indian heritage.
"I'm a very cultural person as well," she said. "I don't get to visit India often because of training, but I went back in April for a tournament and met my cousin for the first time."
Das said competing internationally had taught her valuable lessons in both tennis and life, but playing in New Zealand presented unique challenges.
"New Zealand's a small country, so there aren't as many players competing at that higher level that you can train with," she said. "It's just not quite the same environment as overseas."
Still, she believed participation within the Indian community was growing.
"With the Indian community, the more typical sports are cricket and badminton," Das said. "But now, more players are branching out into tennis, and I'd love to see that continue."
Yashwitha Reddy won a Junior ITF tournament in Fiji in April. (Tennis New Zealand)
Reddy shared that view.
Reddy, who moved from Andhra Pradesh in India to New Zealand nine years ago with her parents, also competed in Japan last month.
She started playing tennis when she was seven years old and has since won national under-12 and under-14 titles, as well as two Junior ITF J30 tournaments in Fiji earlier this year.
Reddy, 15, claimed both the singles and doubles titles in Fiji.
She is ranked 322 in the ITF Juniors and third in New Zealand's under-18 category.
"There was a tennis court near our house, and I just tried it and fell in love with the sport," Reddy said. "I like how it's an independent sport. I'm on the court by myself."
Like Das, she said playing in New Zealand was rewarding but challenging.
"I don't think there are enough players here at that same high level to compete against," Reddy said. "In other countries, like Australia, there are more players training together."
Both Das and Reddy are part of Tennis New Zealand's Athlete Development Programme and this year received Grand Slam Player Grants from the ITF in the junior category.
They follow in the footsteps of prominent Indian New Zealanders such as Ajeet Rai (ATP ranking 599) and Kiranpal Pannu (ATP ranking 956), who have both represented New Zealand in the Davis Cup.
Reddy is now preparing for the national championships in Christchurch.
"It's a challenging sport but once you really like it, it's a great one to play," she said.
