CHENNAI: ON a cloudy Saturday evening at the SDAT-Stadium in Nungambakkam, Rethin Pranav clad in fluorescent yellow gave his opponent the blues. He dominated in what may be his final national level junior tournament. After making appearances in the junior Grand Slams this year, he is all set to make his mark in the American College Tennis circuit as he is set to join Cornell University in New York, United States.
The 17-year-old began the year at the top-30 in the ITF junior rankings. Those three appearances in the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon helped his stocks rise as a junior tennis player. It came off after a title-winning performance at the Fenesta Open National Championship last October and a final appearance in a J300 tournament in South Korea. However, an injury to his left thumb in November 2024 halted that good run. He made it to the Australian Open in January 2025 but that injury kept irking him. Pranav played against World No 9 tennis player from Finland Oskari Paldanius. Despite winning the first set 7-5, he ended up losing to his opponent. "I was slicing on my backhand, he knew that and capitalised on it. I had an unlucky draw but the experience was good," he told this daily.
In the three Grand Slam appearances, the Dindigul boy relished the experience in the grass court at Wimbledon early this month. "Wimbledon has a separate vibe, from the other Grand Slams because of the prestige it carries," he said. In Round 1 of the maindraw in the men's doubles event, he and Japanese player Shion Itsusaki lost a tough game to eventual junior champions Paldanius and Polish Alan Wazny.
The Dindigul born lad relishes the prospect of representing an Ivy League team in College Tennis. "My plan was to play there. We have seen it in Wimbledon this year, 35 of them played this circuit. It's a great place to study as well as improve as a player," he said. He expects to fully transition to a professional, by playing against the best there. With this move, the lad will be following the footsteps of Somdev Devvarman and Mahesh Bhupathi, who have won titles there.
His beginnings were not easy, as his mother passed away in an accident when he was three years old. This was when his father Senthilkumar put him to tennis as a distraction. Now his "happy place," Rethin credits tennis for a positive turnover in life. "Playing tennis has helped me in all aspects of life and I'll keep working hard to give my best," he said.
While the prospects of playing in a Grand Slam tournament makes him excited, nothing beats the feeling of winning an Olympic medal for India. "I'll give my best and winning it will be my goal," he said. While he might be smashing his opponents in the court, Rethin areas of interests are economics and agriculture. He is part of the TNTA's program "The Next-Level" which has supported him with his foreign trips. "I would like to thank them and the sponsors for their continued support in my journey," he concluded.
Senthilkumar, father of the young talent, said that his family stepped in to help with the expenses, without which Rethin would not have come through. "He had to travel a lot to maintain his rankings. His mother's family contributed too and supported him endlessly, especially when I had to look after the hotel business," he said. He hopes to see Rethin represent India in the Davis Cup and eventually in the Olympics. Rethin's growth in the game, his father feels, has made waves in Karur. "His first coach, Kumar sir, is running 3-4 academies with over 100 students coming to train. They all take inspiration from him," he said.