The charm of innocence, of simplicity, that is what makes kids so special. It is because of this attitude, a kid can say, “I am always a fighter and because of that I don’t fear anybody. I know if I fight, I will win.” Probably an adult would have never had this fearless approach to tennis as the 10-year-old Sohini Sanjay Mohanty has.
Make no mistake, Sohini is immensely talented. Whether this initial promise will blossom into full bloom only time will tell, but presently Sohini is giving great signals about her potential. The 10-year-old girl so far has bagged 20 All India Tennis Association (AITA) titles and it has happened in only 10 months as she started playing tournaments only in November 2017.
The class V student of Loyola School is immensely versatile. She plays tennis, plays the drums and the piano and also studies. “I can manage all,” she states with a smile of innocence spread across her face. But when she talks about tennis that is when her entire demeanour turns ecstatic.
“I love to play tennis,” she shoots back when asked about her fascination about the game. She trains for four hours on an average every evening but is candid enough to admit, “On holidays Farhan Sir (her coach) calls me to train in the morning. But you know I can’t get up early, I am very tired because of the hard work I do. But then I can’t disobey Sir.”
The 10-year-old’s feats assume significance because she has won all her 20 titles, 13 singles and seven doubles in the under-12 and under-14 segments – all above her age category. In the U-12 segment she is among India’s top 10 with 360 ranking points while in the U-14 she is among the top 150. But even then she aims for more.
“Now as I am still not 13, I cannot play ITF events. I want to do there well also,” she confidently states. “For that, I am ready to work as hard as the coach asks me to do,” adds the student of Farhan Ali Tennis Academy.
Father Sanjay and mom Raisri Chinmoyee are also determined to see Sohini succeed in tennis. “Look keeping in mind that tennis is an expensive sport, we have chalked out plans for the next two years,” informs Sanjay, who is a software consultant. “It is difficult, because we have to shell out the entire expenses of our pockets,” states her mom Chinmoyee before adding, “We will leave no stone turned to make her a successful tennis player.”
Sohini’s current favourite is US Open women’s champion Naomi Osaka but her all time favourite is Romanian Simona Halep. One is stumped when she nominates American John Isner among her favourites in the men’s segment. Why Isner? Pat comes the reply, “He is a fighter and I like such players and he has a big serve… I would also love to serve like him. But then I also like (Juan Martin) del Potro and (Novak) Djokovic.”
A student of London’s Trinity School of Music (it also has a franchise in Bhubaneswar), Sohini also pursues her second passion – drumming. But then how does she manage to balance all. “When I am playing, I miss the drums, but then tennis is my first passion. As for studies, I carry my books along. Once the matches are over, I sit down to study in the evenings.”
Her mother informs that currently she is giving her half-yearly exams. “It will end September 24 and we will be off the very same day to play a tournament in New Delhi.”
Both parents are immensely grateful to Farhan for his contribution to the development of Sohini. “He takes all decisions regarding her career,” informs Sanjay. “He is also approaching sponsors for her and she may soon have one. If that happens it will certainly be a great boost to her career,” he adds.
The moment she learns that the photographer will arrive, she runs off to lovingly clean her trophies with a brush. Once the session is over she excitedly checks all the pictures. But her body language undergoes a rapid transformation the moment she gears up for practice. The traits of a fighter then become apparent.
Fight Sohini fight. That’s what tennis is all about, that’s what you are meant to do, till glory beckons.