US scholarship holds Harsh in good stead

Harsh Mankad is aware of the expectations. “I’m doing my bit and trying hard,” said Harsh, who went with his heart, opting for tennis early in his school days. He is no bunny with the cricket bat though.

Harsh started off smartly, winning the Junior Natinals in 1995 but since then, seemed to lose his way in the mediocrity that is Indian tennis. A semi-finals here, a quarters there, and Harsh had hit a wall.

But it was only after he joined the University of Minnesota in the US last year that things started to fall into place. “My brother went to the Stanford University and my family decided that I should follow suit, for it would also help my tennis career,” Harsh says.

A year into American college tennis circuit and Harsh has already made a mark on the Indian Satellite scene. He also had a decent outing at the Satellites last year, but now, he is serving better and packs a lot more power. “The facilities in the US are amazing. Then, you play competitve tennis 10 months in year and your coaches are with you backing up, working on flaws. I played 50 singles and 45 doubles matches in a year,” he said.

“A factor which helped me toughen up and improve was playing against guys who are surely in the top 300 level,” Harsh pointed out. “Another important feature of my stay in the US has been indoor tennis — I played indoors for four months which was important in helping me stay tuned to my game,” he added.

Harsh admits “it is a tough grind out there”. He is ranked No 84 in the American colleges rankings and hopes to be in top 20 in the coming year. “I missed playing the NCAA by a point this year,” he says.

And what about ATP points? By the time he passes out, he will be 23. “I’m around 600 on ATP now and satisfied. My aim is to concentrate on college tennis and improve my game and fitness. ATP tournaments come after that. And 23 is young, I believe. Indians mature late, don’t they?” he said.