Five things to know about India's rising tennis sensation Karman Kaur Thandi
They say childhood shows the man, as morning shows the day.17-year-old Karman Kaur Thandi is proving that saying right. Ever since her incredible feat of winning the U-16 WTA Futures Star in Singapore in 2014, she hasn’t looked back. In an incredible past 12 months, Thandi has reached three $10,000 International Tennis Federation (ITF) finals, while qualifying for another three $25,000 tournaments.Currently ranked 47th in the juniors category, Karman has already developed a habit of defeating higher ranked players. A confident strokeplayer with a composed brain, the teenager has all the attributes of making it big.In a period where India is looking at the next superstar after Sania Mirza, Karman and the current crop of junior players are raising the bar of expectations. Here are five things you should know about her:
#1 Playing since she was 8!
Karman was introduced to tennis at the age of 8 by her parents. Interviewed by the BBC after her win in the WTA Futures Star, she said, “The love for the game drives me to play the game.” A student of Ryan International School, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, she was introduced to the game by Vinod Kumar.
Later, it was tennis coach Aditya Sachdeva who groomed Karman to be a world class player. “When she came to me five years ago, I saw a talented girl who was determined and willing to work hard. As Bob Brett told me long ago, talent is all about learning and implementing the lessons. Karman has that talent to implement,” Sachdeva told The Hindu.