Aishwarya Jadhav, is part of the Asian team in the U-14 Wimbledon Tennis tournament scheduled to begin on July 1. (Express Photo)FOR THE parents of any tennis player, seeing their child play on one of the Grand Slam courts is nothing short of a dream come true. Kolhapur’s Anjali Dayanand Jadhav is one such parent whose daughter, Aishwarya Jadhav, is part of the Asian team in the U-14 Wimbledon Tennis tournament scheduled to begin on July 1.
“To have her play on the Wimbledon grass courts… is a dream that I have had for her. I could not be happier about her success. It still feels unbelievable and it is gratifying to see the tennis player she is becoming,” said the proud mother.
Jadhav, who is India’s number one in the U-14 girls category, has been achieving one feat after the other through her skill and passion for the sport since the start of the calendar year. After her stellar stint at the Asia/Oceania World Junior Tennis Competition (U14 Girls’) Final Qualifying 2022 held in Delhi in April, she recently added the doubles title at the Under-16 Junior Tennis Nationals to her kitty, held at her home turf of Kolhapur last week.
Trained under brothers Arshad and Manal Desai at the Arshad Desai Tennis Academy in Kolhapur, Jadhav, through her achievements, has put her city on the map in the tennis community. “It is a big thing to have a player from a small place such as Kolhapur selected to play at the prestigious grass courts of Wimbledon. She has proved time and again what a deserving tennis player she is and it is a moment of pride for a coach,” said Arshad.
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He said that while his ward has received support from the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) and the people of Kolhapur, there is still a lot of work to be done backstage. “She has also been selected for the Grand Slam Player Development Programme in Europe besides the World Junior Competition in the Czech Republic lined up. We are hoping that the required paperwork as monetary backing is attained at the right hour, as it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said the coach.
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