New Delhi: Tennis fans and the fraternity acknowledged Tuesday the success of young national under-14 champion Ajay Singh, who overcame several hardships to claim the national title, with a few coming forward to lend him support.
The 13-year-old Ajay was crowned under-14 champion despite not having exposure to facilities as he practiced on just mud courts in his village but still developed enough skills to be the best in the country in his age group.
En route to the title, he beat several players who had trained with better coaches and trained under much better facilities.
India’s Davis Cup coach Zeeshan Ali has offered a scholarship to Ajay. “We want to train this kid at our academy in Bangalore. He can stay here and we will take care of his training and fitness,” Zeeshan told this agency.
A tennis fan in Hong Kong has come forward to offer help after reading the success story of the kid on social media. He has committed tennis shoes and a string of roll to the the young champ from Madina village in Gohana, a tehsil in Haryana. He prefers to remain anonymous and has promised to deliver the goods in 2-3 days. Another tennis fan from Zurich has also enquired about the kind of support the youngster requires.
It has also been learnt that a few senior Indian players plan to have a look at his game. Many seasoned Indian players such as Vishnu Vardhan, Jeevan Nedunchezhian and Ankita Raina have also spread the story of Ajay’s success on the social media.
Meanwhile Ajay’s father Ajmer Singh’s phone has not stopped ringing since Tuesday morning and one of the congratulatory messages came from the Haryana sports director. DLTA coach Arun Kumar, who has played a significant role in Ajay becoming a tennis player, meanwhile asserted that the kid now needs to deliver with all the support pouring in.
“He(Ajay) deserves support and more people should come forward to help him. With his limited resources he has done well but now he has a chance to make the next grade. But we should not put pressure on him and let him be himself,” Kumar said.
Press Trust of India