As the Junior National Tennis championships progressed at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) courts last week, a treasure trove of talent was on display. However amongst this talented group of young tennis stars, none shines as bright or seems as promising as thirteen year-old Sharmal Dissanayake.
Sharmal snatched the Under 14 title at last week’s Junior Nationals (Pic Saman Kariyawasam) |
With an already enviable all-round game, Sharmal has been moving from strength to strength over the past few years. His ascension in to the country’s national ranks has impressed a great many tennis enthusiasts in the country, none more important than SLTA President Maxwell de Silva.
Mr. de Silva, while speaking to the Sunday Times ahead of the senior nationals, says that the association is closely monitoring the development of Sharmal’s game and is willing to do what it takes to help him.
“We have been watching the growth of Sharmal’s game very carefully and want to make sure he is one of our top players in the future,” Mr. de Silva explains.Shamal himself made more than a fair representation of his game during these junior national championships, clinching the Under 14 title and reaching the semifinals of the Under 18 age group, where he lost to the eventual champion, Vimuktha de Alwis.
His game no doubt has grown stronger from a recent Under 14 European tour where he qualified for Group One after overcoming a number of tough opponents before losing to the tour’s top seeded Chinese player.
His more than commendable performance in Europe will add to a string of successes he has already enjoyed in the international arena, starting with a gold medal in the Under 10 age group of the International Junior Open Tennis Championship, held in Malaysia, way back in 2005.
Since then he has won ITF events held in Singapore and the Philippines, as well as several gold medals at tournaments staged in Malaysia.
“I have worked hard on every area of my game, from my ground strokes to my net play. My fitness trainer Ranil has also helped me become physically stronger and improve my endurance,” Sharmal reveals.
In addition to the advice he receives from his coaches Vijay Kanth and Bharathi, Sharmal also attributes his improvement to the advice he receives from the country’s senior players such as the national team’s lynchpin, Harshana Godamanne.
“They always encourage me and give me tips to get better. They also tell me to be mentally strong and never give up in a match,” Sharmal states.
It was actually the mental challenge proposed by tennis which drew Sharmal to the game in the first place.
He explains that tennis, more than any other game, relies mainly on a player’s mind frame and one has to remain mentally tough because he is all alone on the tennis court and needs his wits intact.
Sharmal was just three and a half years-old when he started playing tennis under Kingsley Candappa, after being encouraged when his brother took to the game.
In 2003, when he was six, he joined his school’s (Royal College) tennis team and went on to claim a number of Under 11 titles. He then emerged victorious at the under-8 tournaments held by Moors SC and Women’s International Club before annexing the title of Under 10 champion for several years.
Sharmal expresses satisfaction at the current standard of his game but says he still needs to work harder, during his three hour a day, six day a week training schedule, to get better.
“Playing tennis is something I love and something I want to be a part of my life in the future.
Thanks to the support of my parents I can keep working on my game so that one day I can become a top professional player.” |
E-mail
