Tavish Pahwa is one of the bright emerging tennis talents in the country. Right from the time he won his singles and doubles matches in helping India beat Pakistan in the South Asian under-12 final in Nepal, Tavish has been in focus for his unflinching attitude on the court.
After the recent titles in two of the big Asian under-14 events, Tavish is the best-ranked Indian boy in Asia, behind two Koreans. He had shown his talent on the global stage last year when he reached the semifinals of the Orange Bowl and the quarterfinals of Eddie Herr, the prestigious events in the USA that attract the best players from across the world.
The best talent may not bloom and realise potential without the right guidance. After having tried “a dozen coaches and academies”, as admitted by his parents, the 13-year-old Tavish has come under the tutelage of coach Todd Clark at Accelerate Tennis in Gurugram.
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“I am very excited to be a part of his team and I am grateful for this opportunity. He has a great support network and if all goes according to plan, I am confident that Tavish can compete with the very best juniors in the world”, said coach Todd Clark.
Right from the time he was the Director at the Harvest Academy in Ludhiana in 2008, Aussie coach Todd has done phenomenal work in India, in helping several players to excel at the national and international level. Zeel Desai, Megh Patel, Krish Patel, Mahika Khanna, Kabir Hans, Deepender Grewal, Niyati Kukreti, Vansh Nandal, Udayan Bhakar, Shweta Rana and Dhruv Tangri are some of the champions from his stable.
Todd has analysed Tavish remarkably well and lends clarity to his potential.
“Tavish demonstrates great athletic qualities. He uses his fitness as a weapon as he has the cardio base to play long, physically demanding rallies. Equally, he has the explosiveness to play short high-intensity points”, said Todd.
The coach intends to introduce a tournament fitness plan to ensure that Tavish maintains his fitness while travelling and further enhances his fitness. Physical loads will be carefully monitored and adequate time marked for rest and recovery.
“He is tactically smart. Tavish has the ability to analyse his opponents’ strengths and weaknesses as well as most coaches. He is becoming more aware of his strengths and is developing some strong patterns of play. We are seeing his win percentage on big points improving simply as a result of his ability to do what he is good at. He is comfortable at the baseline or transitioning to the net. We are working on his net game, which will be essential for his future success”, the coach explained.
More than anything else, the coach admires Tavish’s love for the battle.
“He is a confident young man who thrives on stepping up when faced with a stronger, higher-ranked opponent. He plays attacking tennis in close situations which shows his level of self-belief. He will be one of the toughest competitors in the Indian junior circuit. He will also learn to appreciate that competition is unpredictable and will not always go your way. There is no losing, only learning”, said Todd.
The plan is to get more international exposure for Tavish later in the year and help him see what it takes to be one of the top juniors in the world.
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As another coach who has worked with the boy for quite some time, Ankit Patel pointed out, Tavish is very passionate about the game and has been reading books on all the top players. He spends time on yoga and meditation, apart from the tennis-specific drills.
With Shiv Nadar School supporting him through regular online classes, Tavish has an unwavering focus on his game and promises to fast-track his progress in the international arena.
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