“A Great End to My Junior Career”: Gautam Venkatraman Reflects on ITF Junior Title Win
Pune, India – Indian junior tennis player Gautam Venkatraman claimed the Boys Singles title at the Gadre Marine MSLTA – ITF Grade 3 Junior Tennis Championships, defeating fellow Indian Samarth Sahita in the final (6-2, 7-6(3)). This victory marks the conclusion of his junior career. Gautam spoke to the press about his performance, training, and transition to the men’s circuit.
Interview Transcript
Reporter: What are your thoughts on the final today?
Gautam Venkatraman: I think I played very well. I’m very happy with my performance from the start. I was playing a great level of tennis and I was serving very well. So overall, yeah, it’s a great end to my junior career.
Reporter: What was your game plan coming into the match, since you played Samarth last week?
Gautam Venkatraman: I played Samarth last week, so I knew some technical things that I needed to do in the match. I just knew that my first serve was the most important thing. So I’m very happy with how I served throughout the match.
Reporter: What did you think about the playing conditions here in Pune?
Gautam Venkatraman: I think it was very good. It suited my game very well. It was very quick. So again, my serve did a lot, and also I prefer faster surfaces because my shots do a bit more than the slower ones.
Reporter: You recently reached a final in Poland. What do you think has changed in your game that is leading to these great results?
Gautam Venkatraman: I think it definitely has to be my serve. I’m a very tall guy, so it’s a very key part of my game. And I think, with time, my serve just keeps getting better. So I get more free points and I’m able to continuously hold my serve. So I think that’s definitely the main takeaway.
Reporter: Could you share details about your coaching setup? Who are your coaches? Where do you train?
Gautam Venkatraman: I’m training in the Nensel Academy in Peine, Germany. My coaches are Sasha Nensell, and my Fitness Coach is Milos Galecic. I think they’ve been perfect and really helped me be where I am today.
Reporter: What are your goals for the next season?
Gautam Venkatraman: Next season I would like to play a lot more Futures and make a big impact on the pro tour, to make the transition from juniors to men’s tennis.
Reporter: Could you talk about your early playing days? How did you get into tennis?
Gautam Venkatraman: I started at a very young age. My sister first started, and when I was picking up the balls behind her, I fell in love with the sport. So from a young age I was always playing. I was playing in Singapore, and then I realized I needed a bit more intensity, so I moved to Germany, and it’s been a great switch.
Photos by Neeraj
