CHENNAI: Coco Gauff, Leander Paes, Novak Djokovic and Rohan Bopanna. These were the names that got young 13-year-old Srishti Kiran on the edge of her seat, whenever they took the court. By watching them play, Srishti’s eyes are locked onto the screen, as she learns how they serve, volley and make use of their feet. And a few weeks ago, Srishti — highest ranked player amongst U13 players — got to meet all three of them, at the Mecca of tennis. Wimbledon. Srishti narrowly missed the semifinals of Wimbledon’s U14 championships. She won two group games, before losing to Lyubov Pronenko 7-6(5), 5-7(10) , and lost the consolation round match to Wang Jiayi of China.
“I got to play with the same balls and the same courts as the pros and I got to meet a lot of them. It was also a good experience because I know now how hard I need to work to get into the Grand Slams,” she told this daily from Paris, where she took part in the Open Stade Francais event. But the best part of her trip in London came from meeting Gauff. “She knew me because I got to introduce myself to her. Then, we got to talk about our matches and I got to wish her good luck,” she said.
On the court, Srishti went down fighting to her opponent. “I was down 0-4 and then I won the first set. And then, I was up 5-3 in the second set and then I started puking on the court due to which I lost in the super tie-break,” she said.
And on Thursday, she continued to show how good she could be. Representing Asia in the Tennis Europe Super Category, a tournament often regarded as the 'grand slam' of U14 tennis, Srishti and her doubles partner Padmapriya Ramesh Kumar dismantled top-tier European seeds and claimed their spots in the final four.
Initially put to tennis aged four by her father Kiran Gopalrajan, Srishti surprised him every time he raised the standards. Growing up, Gopalrajan played club cricket but could not play further due to lack of support.
“At a very young age, Srishti showed incredible speed and strength. I chose tennis for her because as a young toddler, she was fast and very smart,” Gopalrajan told this daily. And ever since she took the racquet, there was no looking back.
Training and playing in USA
Srishti said she is relishing the experience of training under Gabe Jaramillo at RPS Academy in Florida in the United States of America from 2025, “I would say it has been a really good experience and I've improved a lot. As I've been exclusively working with Coach Gabe and coach Juan (Abuchaibe), with my tennis and my fitness with coach Ivan (Guerrero). I think I've improved a lot. I've been on and off with tournaments but I've been improving a lot over there,” she remarked.
While she trains there amongst the best, Gopalrajan explained how taking part in tournaments as an Indian student has not been easy. “In the US, we don't get access to wildcards like the Americans. She has to take the long route and she has done incredibly well in Junior ITF as a 13-year old. Though the All India Tennis Association (AITA) and the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) are very helpful, travelling to India for a tournament is very tough.
“What makes it even more challenging is that she is on student's visa, though her school is very supportive but she has to attend classes regularly and maintain a healthy attendance at school,” he said.
As she tries to negate a busy schedule this year, Srishti hopes to come back to Wimbledon next year as a better player. "I ideally see myself in the junior grand slams and make it into the top 100s," she signed off.