Promising tennis talent Hruthik Katakam eyes junior Grand Slam success – Times of India

Hruthik Katakam, India’s No. 1 tennis player in Under-14 boys’ singles, received a major boost to his aspirations after securing financial backing from waste handling and disaster management solutions provider Aryan Pumps.

The Hyderabad-based Hruthik, mentored by former Davis Cupper and Olympian Vishnu Vardhan, is the reigning national champion in the U-14 category and represented India at the U-14 World Championships in Europe.

Aryan Pumps have long supported tennis player including Australian Open doubles champion Rohan Bopanna and rising singles star Sumit Nagal.

“Im happy to include India #1 Hruthik to the list of tennis players supported through Aryan Pumps. He has shown good results in his age group and has a potential to do well. We are excited to work with him to realise his potential,” said the company’s chairman Prashant Sutar, who is also the president of the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association, in a press release.

The company was committed to sponsoring Hruthik with a specific goal of supporting his aspirations to compete and triumph in the junior Grand Slams in the coming years, the release said.

Hruthik said he was humbled by the support he has received. “I am grateful to Sutar sir for providing me with the necessary funding for my training and tournaments. This support enables me to wholeheartedly focus on honing my skills and striving for excellence,” he said.

In another significant development, Hruthik has joined the JC Ferrero India tennis academy in Pune, which has a team of coaches led by Hemant Bendre, who has been guiding women’s India No. 1 Ankita Raina since her early years. The move will help Hruthik in acquiring the necessary skill-set to handle the ultra-competitive world of of men’s tour in the coming years.

Vardhan, who played doubles at the 2012 London Games partnering Leander Paes and also won the bronze medal at the 2010 Asian Games, said: “It is very rare to find a talent like Hruthik with genetics favouring the sport. I have been closely mentoring him since 2022 and am excited to witness his promising future in tennis.”