The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Poojashree worried of sponsorship despite going up the ladder

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Sunday, May 06, 2007
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Poojashree worried of sponsorship despite going up the ladder

Kalyan Ashok

— Photo: M.A. Sriram

SHIFTING INTO TOP GEAR: V. Poojashree is hoping that the French Open would be a stepping stone in her career.

BANGALORE: At 17, Poojashree Venkatesh is arguably the best of the lot in the junior girls' under-18 singles section. She has a searing forehand, solid groundstrokes and towers over others at six feet one inch. Hailing from the rural outskirts of Mysore, she has fought the odds to make it big in tennis and nurses even bigger hopes.

Poojashree, winner of the Nike National Masters title, went on to clinch two National crowns in the under-18 and under-16 singles in 2005-2006, which earned her a berth in the Indian junior Fed Cup team last season. She shifted into top gear and now wishes to play the Grand Slams. She has sent her first Slam entry to play in the French Open and with a world junior ranking of 126, she is a sure bet for the girls' singles qualifying rounds.

Good performances

Points of the season came in just four ITF junior events, in which she won two Grade IV events in Mumbai and Delhi and was the semifinalist in a Grade III tournament in Chandigarh and a finalist in Grade II Championship again in Delhi.

"Overall six best results would have counted a lot to me, but I was able to play only in four, but still it was good enough for my bid to play the French Open junior qualifying rounds," said Poojashree in a chat with The Hindu.

She hopes French Open would be a big stepping-stone in her career. "It would be my first Slam event and from there I would like to move on to Wimbledon also," said Poojashree, who prefers to play on hard courts. But Poojashree is virtually on tenterhooks about whether her dream would come true. Coming from a not too affluent background, raising close to Rs. 1 lakh on her own for the trip is almost an impossible proposition. Also time is ticking way.

Her father, Venkatesh, a milk vendor said: "I wonder sometimes whether I was right in asking my daughter to play tennis. We have no clue how to raise funds. "

Recalling his daughter's meteoric rise, Venkatesh said: "When she won a State title, I hoped that she would become a National player and when she did that, I nursed international dreams and she justified my faith by winning the ITF junior events. Now she has Grand Slam visions and I wonder whether I can sustain it."

Coach R. Nagaraj, who has been training Poojashree from her childhood, is high on hopes about his ward's potential. "I have not seen a better hitter than her and when people ask who is there after Sania, I wouldn't hesitate to stay, take a chance on Poojashree."

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