NEW DELHI: He’s the world No. 1 in his age group. He has a Grand Slam to his name. And from the outside it might appear that this is when life for Yuki Bhambri gets simple. The truth is vastly different.
The most important task right now for Yuki and for those around him is to keep him grounded and not let the flashing light bulbs distract him from his goals.
"He has created the hype but it’s very important for Yuki to keep his feet on the ground. He looks upto Sachin Tendulkar and I’ve told him to emulate his role model now. The pressure and expectations are just growing," said Aditya Sachdeva, the man who has steered and guided the young lad all the way, on Friday.
The felicitations and praise will continue but Sachdeva is already focussed on the future. A major feature of his plans is getting Yuki a three or four-week stint with a top player.
"He had the chance to hit with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open but the heat interrupted the plans. All these top players look to hit with juniors and I’m very keen that Yuki gets the chance to spend time with a top player, someone like Marian Cilic, spend a few weeks with him. He will have the chance to learn a lot," informed Sachdeva.
Top pros hitting with juniors is a regular feature on the tour. Bernard Tomic, who beat Yuki in the Australian Open semifinal last year, was Rafa’s hitting partner for a day in Melbourne.
Sachdeva also has a number for Yuki to focus on in 2009 - 50 matches. "He has to play 50 matches this year. He could reach this number early depending on how deep he goes in the tournaments."
Having excelled in the junior ranks, time is ripe for Yuki to test the waters of the men’s circuit and Indian tennis legend Ramesh Krishnan, who was present in the Capital for a felicitation affair, felt that Yuki’s age was a great advantage.
"He’s just 16 and he has the time to test his mettle against men now. He just needs to strike a balance between the juniors and the men’s circuits. It has to be a trial and error method. The key is to play a lot of matches interspersed with proper rest," said Krishnan, who himself won the junior French and Wimbledon crowns.
Source: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Yukis_agenda_Training_with_a_top_player/articleshow/4090749.cms
The most important task right now for Yuki and for those around him is to keep him grounded and not let the flashing light bulbs distract him from his goals.
"He has created the hype but it’s very important for Yuki to keep his feet on the ground. He looks upto Sachin Tendulkar and I’ve told him to emulate his role model now. The pressure and expectations are just growing," said Aditya Sachdeva, the man who has steered and guided the young lad all the way, on Friday.
The felicitations and praise will continue but Sachdeva is already focussed on the future. A major feature of his plans is getting Yuki a three or four-week stint with a top player.
"He had the chance to hit with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open but the heat interrupted the plans. All these top players look to hit with juniors and I’m very keen that Yuki gets the chance to spend time with a top player, someone like Marian Cilic, spend a few weeks with him. He will have the chance to learn a lot," informed Sachdeva.
Top pros hitting with juniors is a regular feature on the tour. Bernard Tomic, who beat Yuki in the Australian Open semifinal last year, was Rafa’s hitting partner for a day in Melbourne.
Sachdeva also has a number for Yuki to focus on in 2009 - 50 matches. "He has to play 50 matches this year. He could reach this number early depending on how deep he goes in the tournaments."
Having excelled in the junior ranks, time is ripe for Yuki to test the waters of the men’s circuit and Indian tennis legend Ramesh Krishnan, who was present in the Capital for a felicitation affair, felt that Yuki’s age was a great advantage.
"He’s just 16 and he has the time to test his mettle against men now. He just needs to strike a balance between the juniors and the men’s circuits. It has to be a trial and error method. The key is to play a lot of matches interspersed with proper rest," said Krishnan, who himself won the junior French and Wimbledon crowns.
Source: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Yukis_agenda_Training_with_a_top_player/articleshow/4090749.cms
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