Arnav Paparkar’s rise from local courts to Wimbledon showcases India’s emerging tennis talent.
Dubai: Indian teenager Arnav Paparkar has ended a 36-year wait by becoming the first Indian boy to reach the singles quarter-finals at the Wimbledon junior championships since Leander Paes achieved the feat in 1990.
According to a report, the 18-year-old from Pune booked his place in the last eight at the All England Club, marking a significant milestone for Indian junior tennis and emerging as one of the country’s brightest young prospects.
Currently ranked World No. 19 in the ITF junior rankings, Paparkar has steadily established himself as one of India’s most promising young tennis players. He built his ranking through consistent performances in lower-tier international tournaments in India before progressing to events across Asia and eventually competing on the world’s biggest junior stages. In his final year on the junior circuit, the 18-year-old is enjoying what is shaping up to be a breakthrough season.
Paparkar delivered a dominant display to defeat Japan’s Ryo Tabata 6-2, 6-1 in just 52 minutes, securing his place in the Wimbledon junior quarter-finals. The 18-year-old will next face American qualifier Jordan Lee as he looks to continue his impressive run.
The Indian will also be aiming to turn the tables on Lee, having lost both of their previous encounters, including their most recent meeting at the J300 Roehampton tournament in June.
Paparkar’s achievement also marks India’s best singles performance at a junior Grand Slam since Yuki Bhambri reached the quarter-finals of the 2009 US Open junior championships, having earlier won the Australian Open boys’ title that year.
His victory over Tabata carried added significance, as the Japanese player had beaten him in both of their previous meetings. One of those defeats proved particularly painful, with Paparkar surrendering a 5-2 lead in the deciding set despite holding five match points.
Reflecting on Wednesday’s win, Paparkar said the memory of that loss motivated him.
“That match was in my head. I was like, I cannot lose like that again. I’m much better now mentally, a lot calmer,” he said.
“I tell myself, it’s okay, it’s just a tennis match.”
Paparkar said he noticed Tabata struggling physically during the match but chose to remain focused on his own game rather than changing his tactics.
“I realised that he was struggling with his serve, but also sometimes players feel better in the course of a match, so I just stayed focused on what I could do,” he said.
The Indian’s biggest weapon was once again his powerful serve. He fired eight aces, won 23 of his 25 first-serve points and recorded a top speed of 208km/h, while averaging an impressive 196km/h on his first serve throughout the contest.
Standing 6ft 1in tall, Paparkar splits his training between his hometown of Pune under coach Hemant Bendre and the Soto Tennis Academy in Spain, where he works with Nigel Beavers. He has credited Bendre with transforming his serve through subtle technical adjustments to his action, helping turn it into one of the standout strengths of his game.
Paparkar credits recent technical changes to his serve for the improvement in his game.
“If you see now my swing is slower and fuller. My coach told me in April that it was better to work on that now because it would prevent injuries,” he explained.
“It has given me a better rhythm and that has led to more consistency.”
Now, with a place in the Wimbledon boys’ singles semi-finals on the line, the 18-year-old has already achieved a feat no Indian junior has managed in more than three decades. His impressive run at the All England Club has firmly established him as one of India’s most exciting young tennis prospects and a player to watch for the future.
