The junior Wimbledon badminton title may not be of the same stature as the annual All-England championships, but it is prestigious nevertheless.Most players — unlike usual badminton meets — come from Europe, and India’s top junior Anand Pawar’s win on Sunday does count for quite a bit. Yes, despite the absence of the Far-Eastern hordes that steal podium space at most international badminton meets.‘‘It is good for Anand, for his confidence and for Indian badminton,’’ says national coach Vimal Kumar of the son of former internationals Uday and Sujata. ‘‘Anand is a real future prospect and it is great that he is making winning a habit by making the best of all the opportunities. It has also helped Anand know where the Europeans stand and they are not far behind the Asians any more.’’Standing at 5’7”, and backed by Tata Steel Sports Foundation, Anand (18) has set higher goals for himself though: ‘‘I have been working hard this last one year and am focused on the junior world championships. Wimbledon was quite a good exposure as players from 23 nations took part including the top five world junior players. I hope to carry this form to the junior worlds,’’ said Anand at his home in Mumbai.The teenager has already been put through the grind by his parents who know well what it takes to become a champion. Uday, who also runs a badminton academy in Mumbai, wants the best for his son. ‘‘But it’s easier said than done. It requires a lot of hard work and more importantly the player needs to be on the world circuit. One has to follow the examples of Viswanathan Anand, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi. You need to get that competitive edge with a steely resolve.’’Anand, along with Rohan Castellino (Bangalore) will now form the spearhead of the Indian junior team for the World Junior Championship at Vancouver, Canada in October. And by the looks of it, we can hope all over again.
