Naveed’s feet are planted firmly on the ground
Looking at the career of Naveed Mohamed, the tennis player from Zahira College Matale, one wonders if his one of those referred to in Gray’s Elegy – “Born to blush unseen and waste its sweetness on the desert air”.
Naveed has dominated competitions in Matale and Kandy and he is very much aware of the fact that, if his tennis is to improve, he has to play in the Colombo Circuit. Being mad on tennis, he also has visions of playing abroad but money is a constraint.
The youngster, who turned 17 last week on the day he won four titles at the Mahaweli Reach Open Junior tournament, has not neglected his studies. Presently, an Advanced Level Bio Science student, he had six A passes at the O/L exam. In addition, what separates him from a lot of his peers is the fact that he is quite fluent in English.
He captained the Under-15 cricket team and is also the captain of the school’s Elle team. But all that takes second place to the sport he loves. Naveed, whose favourite player is Nadal, says he likes him for the way he plays and his attitude. The youngster favours the double-handed backhand (“It gives you more control and is easy to play”) and the forehand smash.
For Naveed, winning the player of the tournament award at District-level, is a given. Starting at the age of nine, he developed rapidly, and at fourteen he was ranked number 8 in the island.
Encouraged to play at tournaments outside the central province, he took part in the under 14 event at the SSC open in 2011. He lost in the semis to Shehan Fernando, the leading player in that age group. He reached the semi-final, but lost to Joshua Jayaratne at the Bandarawela Junior Tennis Championship in 2011.
He had more good fortune at the 2012 Janaka Bogollagama Tennis tournament where he won his event, As the Kandy garden club tournament in 2012, he won the under 15, 17 and 19 events, He has made the Mahaweli Reach tournament his own, performing a hat-trick of wins – 2012, 2013, 2014.
Naveed fancies himself to be a decent doubles player. More often than not, he is partnered by his sibling Mohamed Alam. They have been well-high unstoppable at tournaments in Kandy and Matale. However, when partnered by Amrit Muhajireen (of Christ Church Matale) he lost in the semis at the All Island Under-18 doubles event.
He confesses to adoring Kumar Sangakkara. He tries to copy the way he dresses and his attitude. So much so, that his friends call him “Little Sanga”.
For the most part, Naveed practices at the courts of the Matale Tennis Club. The only coach he has had is K. Sutharshan – a level 1 coach of the SLTA. Practices are a three hours a day, six days of the week affair, with Monday being the rest day.
His talent has gained recognition and he is being sponsored by Dunlop who provides him with racquets, T shirts, shoes and a bag-carrier. Naveed’s feet are planted firmly on the ground but he would like to reach for the stars. Per Ardua ad Astra (through hardship to the stars) is the motto he lives by.