Noida: Uttam Karthik (14), a class 10th student of Apeejay School, Noida, recently bagged the winner’s trophy and a certificate of merit at the All India Tennis Association (AITA) National Ranking Championship Series 2022 in the under-16 boys singles category, held at Ghaziabad.
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Karthik has been participating in this tournament for the past two years. However, this is the first time he has won the title. Elated to make his parent and coach proud, he added, “I have been training for six-seven years, so my coach had a lot of expectations from me and was eager to see me win this championship.”
This is a national-level tournament under AITA where players from different states participate. The championship series has tournaments every week at different locations. While he played against players from other states in the tournament, the final game was with a player from Delhi NCR.
Talking about his journey, Karthik says that in India, while most people are inclined towards cricket, his parents wanted him to play a different sport. He started playing tennis at the age of 6 and is inspired by Alexander Zverev and Rafael Nadal.
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When Karthik's father asked him to participate in the tournament, he was excited, however, he also had his exams. Striking a balance between the two was a challenge to him. Initially, it took time to work a schedule but he was brilliantly able to manage both. Despite the pressure of class X board exams, his prime focus was always Tennis.
His practice routine usually comprises coming home from school at around 2 pm and sitting to study for a while. He also goes for jogging before heading for school in morning. He then heads out for the practice session at 5 pm for two hours. He visits the gym post-practice for a daily workout. He is conscious of his dietary habits and tries to eat healthy food. Karthik has already chalked out his career path and often participates in several tennis tournament. He is planning to play a few national-level tournaments this month itself.
