Aryan Shah, a promising 18-year-old tennis player from Bhuj, has made significant strides in his first year as a professional. After a successful junior career, where he reached a career-high ranking of world No. 39, Shah has transitioned seamlessly into the pro ranks.
In his debut season, Shah captured his first singles Futures title at the men’s 15K ITF event in Kingston, Jamaica. He also reached another final and a couple of semi-finals in 25K events. His most recent last-four entry was at the ITF Bhubaneswar tournament, where he defeated reigning national champion Rethin Senthil before losing to the top seed and eventual champion Dalibor Svrcina from the Czech Republic.
Currently ranked 621 in the ATP singles charts, Shah is the youngest among the top 10 players from India and aims to finish his first professional year even higher. “Competing professionally full time, everything was a new experience for me,” said Shah. “It does feel a bit different, dealing with different kinds of players and of various age groups. But I think I’ve managed it pretty well so far.”
Shah’s coach, Swapnil Desai, said they planned his transition from juniors to pro last year, ensuring he ended his junior career inside the top 100 to gain entry into the main draws of ITF events this season. “I played a lot of great guys in the junior Slams last year,” said Shah. “The major difference coming into pros is the mentality of players. They don’t give free points, like in juniors, and the rallies go that much longer.”
Winning his first singles pro title in Kingston early in the season was a major confidence boost for Shah. “Winning a 15K, having not played many Futures tournaments before, was a good jump for my confidence. I felt like I deserve to be here with these guys, and I know my level.”
Shah’s progress propelled his Davis Cup debut, being named in India’s squad for the tie in Sweden in September. “That was a great moment. That attire, the India blazer, you cannot buy it. And I knew I had worked hard for it,” he said.
The teen realizes there is room for improvement in “my entire game.” He has a decent serve, is fairly solid from the baseline, and isn’t averse to moving out of his comfort zone on court. In this week’s ITF Mumbai tournament, Shah tried an underarm serve. He also plays doubles in tournaments to get more comfortable on the net and imbibe that into his singles game. “I’m still 18. I have to grow every aspect of my game and make them sharper,” he said.
“The challenge now will be to develop his endurance and make him physically stronger,” said Desai. For now, Shah aims to end the year ranked between “400-500.” That will land him into ATP Challenger events next season (four of them are lined up in India in February). “Challengers is where the real tennis journey starts,” said Shah.
