15 Minutes of Fame...15 Years Ago!

Pune Junior Tennis Circuit

Year: 1994

Venue: Law College Tennis Courts

Age-group: under-8

On Court: Rohan Pandit vs Aashwin Lokhande

Classroom buddies pitted against each-other. The first tournament of my competitive career! Early morning start. I was accompanied by my coach and a fellow Tennis buddy. Only! On the other hand, Aashwin had this entire Law College Tennis fraternity behind him. Why? "Local" boy, I thought. I, obviously, was the "under-dog" against the 4th seed! Once on the court, nobody had expected the match to last long. The game kicked-off (I remember, literally kicking the ground after every point lost). On the back foot already, I almost knew where this was heading. The temper on ONE side of the net was rising, slowly.

Changeover. (pun-intended!)

I don't know what/who urged me on, but the score-line started looking better for me...a damp-squib changed into a match which further led to a battle! The tempers were rising - with a difference now - on BOTH sides of the net! It had everything - right from foot-faults to dehydration to swearing! The battle had eaten almost the entire morning. An "outside-court" fixture had transformed into a "Centre-Court" attraction! The entire Law College Tennis fraternity were quite vociferously cheering and rooting - with a difference now - for BOTH the players - EQUALLY! After much more drama, the tussle ceased. Aashwin the winner! Post-match there were handshakes, hugs, pat-on-the-backs, applause, hurrahs, fatigue for both the players...and yes - My 15 Minutes of Fame!

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