Young tennis player Vedant Mohan trains in Spain

As a 10-year-old, Vedant continues to win events above his age-group in Spain.

As a 10-year-old, Vedant continues to win events above his age group in Spain.

Vedant Mohan is a talented left-hander, very quick on his feet, training with good coaches in Spain, at the Soto Tennis Academy, Sotogrande.

His parents Dhruv Mohan and Anisha Nair, were so impressed by the boy’s drive for tennis excellence that they left their jobs in Oman Airlines and Infosys to groom him in Spain.

"They had options to train Vedant at the John McEnroe academy in the US, apart from academies in Australia and Spain. They chose Spain as the boy got a considerable scholarship and Europe was viewed as the best place for tennis," said the grandfather of Vedant, Air Commodore KNV Nair, from Chennai.

Even though the boy was nine years old, and the entry was only for kids 12 years and above, McEnroe was willing to make an exception for Vedant after seeing his training/playing videos.

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It was, in fact, tennis ace Vijay Amritraj who had advised the parents after seeing the videos of the boy, to give him the best possible training.

From the age of 7, Vedant, on starting his tennis career in Muscat, where his father worked as a commercial pilot with the Oman Airlines, has been winning matches and tournaments in the under-10 and under-12 age groups. As a 10-year-old he continues to win events above his age-group in Spain.

"The boy has technique equal to a 12-year-old. His maturity on court and mental strength are way above his age. He is the most talented player I have ever coached. I see a bright future for him," said coach Andrei Razwan of Romania, who has been coaching Vedant for a year.

Two other coaches of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) also believe that Vedant is "special’’.

"The tennis academy is in a village. So, the parents have no job opportunities there. They are spending from their savings to support the bright kid," said the grandfather.

The family hopes that Vedant would get matching support for his fledgling tennis career, so that he can make a big mark in the game.