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PHOTO : NAGARA GOPAL

CHAMPION IN THE MAKING Shaik Abdullah

For this middle-aged father of seven, watching young men play tennis at the L.B. Stadium was a daily amusement. For years he watched the game, the thrills, the magic and the intensity caught the imagination of this wrestler of yesteryear. One day, he hoped to see his sons play the game, which he had by now begun to love. This was no ordinary dream. For someone who had no connections, no affluence, it seemed an almost impossible dream. But Shaik Mohd. Mahboob was not the one to give up. For years together, he clung on to his dream as his sons took their first steps towards achieving that seemingly impossible dream. Today, Shaik Mahboob is a proud father as two of his sons Shaik Mohd Abdullah and S.M. Osama are creating ripples in the junior tennis circuit with their performances.

The biggest moment was when son Abdullah was selected for the Apollo Tyres Mission 2018 tennis scholarship. Picked from among 2500 aspirants by Mahesh Bhupathi, he is the only one from Hyderabad to make it. He will now undergo training for the next ten years at the Bhupathi tennis village in Bangalore along with the 14 others. The mission: to create India’s first Grand slam singles champion by 2018!

Coming from a humble background, Abdullah has shown that perseverance does pays. For this student of Oxford High School, King Koti, the journey wasn’t easy. Living in a modest home with his six siblings, it was his family’s sacrifices alone that have made Abdullah what he is today. For this Hyderabadi boy, tennis was no accident. His mother and two sisters have never been to his games. But they make it a point to pray for his success every time he takes to the court.

He grew up seeing his brother Zubair create a stir in the junior national tennis circles. Zubair was a junior champion at the national level. Abdullah took his first lessons in the game under Stalin Nagaraj of SAAP when he was only five. The next three years were years of rigorous training. It was only when he became nine that he began playing in local tournaments. Winning became a habit and within a year he was playing at the nationals. Eight victories in national ranking tournaments, all in a matter of one year, made him one of the country’s top ranked junior players. He is now ranked third in U-12 category and 48th in the U-14. Tennis is for this lad more than just a game. It is for him a passion, the only passion he’s had since childhood.

Abdullah is shy when he is asked to list his achievements. Abdullah doesn’t seem to have much to say. When he steps on to court however, this timidity disappears and current coach Narendranath from NVK academy watches with pride as his pupil plays.

One day, hopes this father, Abdullah will emulate his idol Roger Federer and make his country proud. That day will be a great day indeed in the annals of Indian sports.

TOMIN PAUL

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