Wimbledon 2021: Indian-origin Samir Banerjee wins junior singles crown
Samir Banerjee is an Indian-origin player who represents the United States of America. He was up against Victor Lilov in the junior singles final, as he trumped in straight sets.
FollowIn what comes as somewhat a proud moment for India, Samir Banerjee, a tennis player of Indian origin, who represents the United States of America, won the 2021 Wimbledon juniors singles title. He overcame Victor Lilov in straight sets (7-5, 6-3).
The 17-year-old belongs to Indian parents, who had migrated to the USA in the 1980s. He came up with a phenomenal performance, totally different from his French Open version last month, where he crashed out in the opening round.
“I really just wanted to win a round, I didn’t expect this. I had a tough French Open, lost to a good player, so here, I just wanted to keep my expectations low so that if I passed them, then I’d be happy. But, this was way beyond my wildest dreams,” he said following his win.
“It’s going to be amazing; this trophy is going to be my centrepiece; I’m going to look at this and be inspired to keep playing and hopefully come back here as a pro. My uncle is here, he’s not technically a tennis coach, but if these results keep happening, then I should start travelling with him more,” he added.
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While he has shined as an American, India, on the other hand, has struggled to field a proper junior player at the Grand Slams. Due to the lack of a sturdy domestic setup and enough competitive opportunities to earn an appropriate world ranking, India is lagging considerably.
The last Indian to win a junior singles title was Yuki Bhambri during the 2009 Australian Open. In the meantime, Sumit Nagal had won the junior doubles with Ly Hoang Nam of Vietnam at the 2015 Wimbledon.
In case you are wondering, Ramanathan Krishnan was the first Indian to win a Slam junior singles title during the 1954 Wimbledon. His son Ramesh Krishnan won the same in the 1970 French Open and Wimbledon, while Leander Paes followed it with the 1990 Wimbledon and US Open junior titles.
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