New Delhi, Mar 13: If you thought that the Indian tennis scene is all about Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, then wait! Others too are slogging it out in the sun, waiting to hit it right. In fact, two of them, sisters Ankita and Sanaa Bhambri, are already on their way up. Delhi’s top ranked players, they are a genuine case of pride. The city doesn’t get to hear much about them because most of the time they are away playing tournaments all over the world. But you can’t miss this: Sanaa, who just turned 15, is representing India in the forthcoming Japan Open. She has just broken into the top 100 U-18 players of the world and is currently ranked 84.
Informs mother Indu Bhambri: “She’s flying to Thailand to play Grade-I ITF, then to Philippines for a tournament and then to Japan.” Ankita, 16, too has a hectic schedule ahead: she plays a $ 10,000 ITF tournament in Mumbai, besides more at Mumbai and Muzaffarabad.
The sisters are right now busy with their Class X Board exams. In fact, these students of DPS, Mathura Road, are as serious about their studies as they are about tennis. As their mother says: “The school principal, MI Hussain, is very kind. The school only expects them to write their final exams, otherwise, they give the girls all their support.” The younger brother, Yuki, 10, too is a student of the same school and a budding tennis player.
With a doctor father, the Bhambri sisters bring precision to their game, which is a delight to watch at the DLTA courts. Right now, busy as they are with their exams, they don’t have time for any other thing. But when prodded about boyfriends, Ankita, says with an embarrassed tint in her voice: “I’m too young to have one. The little time that I have, I prefer spending with my parents or listening to music."