Meet Arjun Kadhe, the Pune lad who is hungry for success at Tata Open Maharashtra
Pune: He is just 23-years-old, but has already started his journey towards achieving success.
Meet Arjun Kadhe, the young emerging star on the Indian tennis circuit who is all set to rub shoulders against some of the best players in the world when he takes part in the only ATP tournament in India, that is, the Tata Open Maharashtra which kicks off at Balewadi Stadium here from December 30th 2017 to January 6th 2018.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle ahead of the tournament he said, “I am very excited to play the Tata Open Maharashtra. I am really looking forward to be around the top players in the world and experience a very high level of tennis.
I would like to thank the tournament director Prashant Sutar and MSLTA (Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association) for giving me the wild-card. I am really looking forward to play some good tennis and learn as much as I can from this tournament”.
“My expectations from the tournament is to play good tennis and try to enjoy the game and the atmosphere,” he said.
The Pune-based tennis star has had a good season so far, winning a singles title in Vietnam and two back -to -back doubles titles in Egypt. Speaking about his title wins he said, “My first title in Vietnam really helped my confidence, and after that victory me and Aryan won two doubles titles back to back titles in Egypt”.
Kadhe won his maiden ITF singles title in Vietnam by beating Australian top seed Andrew Harris 7-5, 6-3 in the final.
“I have played Andrew Harris a few times as he was in Oklahoma University which was our rival college and in the same conference. Oklahoma University vs Oklahoma State University in college is like Manchester United vs Manchester City. We are good friends outside the court,” he quoted.
Kadhe finished his degree in Business management and marketing at Oklahoma State University last summer. While studying in US, he along with his doubles partner Julian Cash became the first doubles team in Oklahoma State history to achieve the top spot in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Rankings.
After his stint in the US, Kadhe has returned to India to make a mark for himself. The youngster feels that the transformation from college tennis to playing on the tour has been quick one.
“It’s been really quick transformation from college to playing on the tour and it has been pretty intense and fun at the same time. It’s a completely different experience from college and I’m enjoying it so far,” Kadhe signed off.
