Firdaus Shroff was more than happy when his daughter Kyra began her ITF campaign with a stunning doubles win, teaming up with Anja Prislam of Slovenia to win the doubles title in Muscat, defeating the top seeds in the semi-finals to take the final 6-3, 6-4. Kyra’s no ordinary champion: she has diabetes and has to take insulin four times daily besides watching her food.
Recalls Firdaus, “She was just 10, and training at the Bhupathi Training Academy in Bangalore when she was diagnosed as a juvenile diabetic. I had to move to Mumbai in 2002-3, which meant staying away from my family for 18 months during which period my father passed away. I started a business in Bangalore which did not succeed. But amid all this, my children continued to flower—Kyra grew to become the highest ranked female junior tennis player in India in 2009, and my son Porus captained the Under-16 Maharashtra Football Team which won the zonal finals at the Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy.’’
Today, Firdaus counsels parents of children with sports talent. “I guide them about where to send children for training, balancing their nutritional requirements, communications and media, to deal with psychological issues faced by children. My family also provides consultancy services for setting up tennis courts, badminton, squash, athletic tracks, football fields and other sports facilities,” he explains.
Firdaus spent six seasons in Surrey, England as an opening batsman in their semi-professional league besides playing other sports. His wife Gulshan was also an athlete in her schooldays. The couple discovered Kyra’s tennis talent when she was a child. “Kyra was good at many sports but she found her calling on the tennis courts at Mumbai’s Wodehouse Gymkhana. She started playing at six and her talent were recognised by senior coaches Tahir and Intikhab Ali,” says Firdaus. “We sent her to Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis Academy in Bangalore under coaches Prahlad Srinath and Mose Navarra. This is where she got international exposure through their tie-ups with Eurosporting that gave her an opportunity to play on clay courts in Italy. As we could not afford sending her to the West, we enrolled her for tennis training in Bangkok.” Kyra flowered, winning national-level tournaments in the Under-12 and Under-14 category. She is most excited about her wins in the Commonwealth Youth Games 2008, where she fetched two silver medals. “Although I lost to Heather Watson of Great Britain, I will cherish the silver medal forever,” says Kyra. “Kyra also played in Wimbledon, the French Open qualifying rounds, and the Australian Open Grand slam in 2009-10 as a junior,’’ says Firdaus.
Kyra’s childhood hero was Andre Agassi; as a teenager she idolised Federer, but now she admires sportspeople who have triumphed over disease and injury. “Australian Lleyton Glynn Hewitt returned from a hip surgery in 2009 to become a professional tennis player, American racing cyclist Lance Armstrong survived testicular cancer but returned to competitive cycling in January 2009, finishing third in the 2009 Tour de France. These are true fighters,’’ says Kyra, who was awarded the Lifetime Achievement with Diabetes Award by the Diabetes Care and Research Foundation, Pune.
Porus is the next star of the Shroff family. Says Firdaus, “In 2009, Porus Firdaus Shroff was part of the winning Maharashtra Team that won the National Under 13 Football Championship at the Tata Football Academy in Jamshedpur . He has played for the Kenkre Football Club in international tournaments in Spain, Sweden and other countries. He was the captain of the Maharashtra under-16 team for the Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy (zonal finals) tournament. With all this, he also does well in school.”
Twelve-year-old Maia is no slouch in a family of champions. She plays football, rugby and other sports, though she is more focused on her studies and plans to become a doctor.
Their big dream? “Kyra in India’s Fed Cup team. Kyra, Sharmada Balu, Rituja Bhosle and Prerna Bhambri are shortlisted as potential partners for Sania Mirza in the London Olympics,” says Firdaus. “We hope our daughter can make the cut.”