Gennext
Yash Fadte. - S. R. Raghunathan
From: Vasco, Goa
Education: Class XII
Discipline: Squash
Mentor: Dilip Fadte
Favourite player: Jehangir Khan
Aim: To win a World Junior Championship title and break into the senior category soon.
Beginning: Coming from a family of sportsmen — his father Dilip Fadte and uncle Namdev Fadte are prominent Ranji Trophy players from Goa — he was introduced to squash at the age of seven. After retiring from cricket, his father played squash at the Naval Club in Dabolim and he would accompany him. He took a liking to the sport and pursued it seriously.
In 2009, he travelled to Mumbai for a squash meet at Bombay Gymkhana and finished second. Even now, he travels to Mumbai every week to train at the Cricket Club of India courts.
Strengths: When Yash started playing the game, he had no training partners. So, his father, who is also his coach, had asked him to focus on fitness. And the youngster feels that fitness is his biggest strength.
Weakness: While he wants to be calmer and more composed when on court, he needs to be more patient and handle tough situations better.
Focus area: Learning how to control his emotions in big-ticket tournaments. With the Squash Racquet Federation of India conducting regular fitness camps for the players, Yash hopes to work on his weaknesses.
Before the World Junior Championships in Chennai in July 2018, he had a session with Ramji Srinivasan, former Indian cricket team trainer, and Yash feels that it helped him a lot.
With the hope of moving to the big league, Yash wants to bank on his fitness to climb the heights.
Yash Fadte in action against Yannick Wilhelmi of Switzerland at the World Junior Squash Championship in Chennai. The youngster travels to Mumbai every week to train at the Cricket Club of India courts. - S. R. Raghunathan
Dilip Fadte (father and coach): Squash has evolved over the years and there is hardly any difference between the senior and junior categories these days. And that’s why I make it a point to watch all his matches and then jot down the negative points. Later, we discuss the problem and try to solve it. This strategy has helped since Yash is an obedient student. After every match, I also talk to the opponent and the coach to know what they feel about Yash’s performance. With various insights and observations, this process has helped him so far. He is a disciplined player and is always willing to learn.
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