Karan Rastogi Thread ...

[kiran r more]

Jay,in fact ,MSLTA has been helping Karan a lot.They have a policy that any player playing grand slam will be given air fare.Karan has benefited by that.MSLTA also gave him two lacs recently and of course Karan has been receiving regular scholarships from MSLTA ,as their policy to support,top three players in each age category,boy and girl,men or women.In fact Karan is the only player who has been getting this scholarship,every year,as he has been number one ,in his age category,always.It is the state govt. that has done nothing for Karan or for that matter any sportsman in the state.I remember during the national games in Hyderabad,Mah. players were given a DA of rs. 10/- per day.Sandeep Kirtane had remarked that if you give peanuts you get monkeys.The attitude of Mah. govt. is sad and not conducive to sports at all.

[rahul rastogi]

Jay,in fact,All India Tennis Association and MSLTA ,have been supporting Karan for the last 4-5 years.It is because of their support that we are able to support his tennis career.

However,it is a fact that Maharashtra State govt. has done absolutely nothing for karan.They have not even acknowledged him,in any way.

As far as AITA and MSLTA are concerned,we are very thankful to them.Karan was always a part of the AITA team to play various junior tournaments.AITA also supported karan in many other ways.Similarly MSLTA has been supporting Karan,in various ways,including financial grants and scholarships from time to time.When Karan was just 14 years,MSLTA had declared him the most outstanding sub junior player of the state.Every year he has been getting scholarships and some financial support.

[amr090]

Thanks for the information Kiran and Mr rastogi...

We need to give credit wher its due. If the AITA and MSLTA has been helping Karan my respect goes out to them. They may not bethe richest in the world but at least theyre doing something and trying.

[jayakris]

Thanks Rahul for the comments. Actually I had known about MSLTA helping him; should have been careful in my comments. I have had a long-time bone to pick with MSLTA though for not having conducted a men's challenger in Mumbai.

Come on MSLTA - 2 of the top 4 from India including the current #1 are from Mumbai. Why can't you guys get a challenger organized? .. This is silly that Mumbai has not had any serious men's event in like some 7 years (except for ABN Amro invitational for a year, which has now gone to Delhi).

MSLTA needs to think big (that is my view; I don;t know the politics, and I may be wrong I guess). Mumbai is a big city. They need to act like it.

Jay

[jayakris]

The Champaign challenger (Nov 14) list came out today. Karan is 16th from the cut, but I hope he will go there and try out the qualies. HM made the cut, which was at #252, Prakash is 4th out and Rohan is 8 out.

Jay

[kiran r more]

Hi,I wish Arvind had provided the link to other article also,on the same page,when he posted the link for sunil.It would have been the complete article.
http://www.tssonnet.com/tss2844/stories ... 105800.htm

[puneets]

I have posted some pics (Champaign Challenger - Karan in Qualies) in the gallery. The quality is pretty bad
I'll try to take some good ones in the upcoming matches.

[Dhruv]

Karan Rastogi just beat Rohan Bopanna and Harsh Mankad in back to back matches in straight sets, qualifying for the ABN Amro WC and also demonstrating that he is now definitely among the top 4 mens tennis players, if not the top two, in the country.

He should be hitting the challenger circuit next year and all the best to him in that endeavor.

[jai_in_canada]

This is exciting stuff. The emergence of a new talent is cause for celebration. I look forward to Karan's first full year as a Tennis Professional. Do well, Karan.

[Nate]

Go Karan!!!
Looking forward to the Rotterdam ATP qualies.

[paulo_eddie]

nice article on KR in todays TOI...

Mellow and Mean

He has risen from 1100 to 360 in the ATP rankings last year. Karan Rastogi tells Moushumi Bora he just can’t wait to unveil his new strokes


Iwish I had.’’ It was an answer prompted by the query whether he had any girlfriend(s). But the impish chuckle instantly transformed into a studied smile. “It’s the life I chose for myself,’’ accepts Karan Rastogi. “It requires discipline, dedication and focus and I’m at a stage when I need to concentrate only on tennis.’’
Distractions he had aplenty after his 2004 Australian Open junior semifinals outing, Karan admits. “I had a bad year because I started having fun and my priorities were not in the right place. But, thankfully, my parents were around to knock sense into me.’’
And then there was the time when he almost abandoned the hopes of pursuing tennis as a career, “In 2002, I had a couple of injuries and I didn’t want to continue. I was going through a lean patch, losing 6-1 6-1 to a guy who I would have easily beaten. But my parents supported me and I’m glad that I made the right decision.’’
He was 15 then. He is 19 now. How much has his temperament changed? “I have mellowed down a bit,’’ his wide grin communicating a lot more. “I guess I’m much more mature. Off the court, I’ve always been a little shy, laidback but I used to lose my temper often on court.’’
Part of the credit goes to his travelling coach Sanjay Poddar. “He knows me for a long time as he was in PracTennis in Mumbai under my first coach Mr Ramarao and we share a special relationship. For the last 10 months, my game has certainly improved and mentally too, I’m stronger. He got me into yoga also. I was a little hesitant at first because it was a deviation from my daily schedule but I believe it has helped me.’’
But the best thing that happened was when he caught the attention of IMG in 2001. “I went to Nick Bollettieri Academy every year, but since 2003, I’ve been a regular. It’s been an enriching experience. A normal day would include 4 1/2 hours of practice and 1 1/2 hours in the gym apart from mental conditioning. Earlier, I used to hit with players like Serena and Sharapova, now there’s Malisse, Dent and Mirnyi.”
For the second year in a row, Karan earned a wild card entry to the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament qualifying in Rotterdam. It’s another chance for him to gain some valuable experience. But his ambitions are set.
“I’m aimimg for 280 by the French Open so that I’ll be eligible for Grand Slam qualification and once I get there, I’ll reset my goals,’’ he said. In a year, he has shot up the rankings from 1100 to 360 so possibilities and expectations are high. “I won the Satellite tournament in New Delhi last month, and again there are a couple of tournaments in Chandigarh and Delhi before the $50,000 event in Qatar. So, there are plenty of opportunities to gain some points.’’
For the teen who dotes on Pete Sampras (“such mental strength’’) but with a game similar to Lleyton Hewitt’s (“a counterpuncher, if you like’’), the Shahrukh fan who’s inspired by Lance Armstrong and Boris Becker autobiographies, the self-confessed brat (“a pain in the a*se when I was a kid’’) who tranformed into an accepting individual, the memory to cherish was his Open sojourn in Melbourne (“the semis and then Leander walking up to me and saying I was in the Davis Cup team’’).
That’s in the past, and with a blossoming present, one is tempted to say, the best is yet to come. TNN

[sameerph]

Karan has received a Wild Card for next week's Doha Challanger .
In 1st round Karan plays Sergy Stakhovsky of Ukraine.

Good luck, Karan.

[jaydeep]

Wow thats good news for Karan ... So that means he is in position to grab two continuous wildcards for Doha Challenger and Chennai Open (this still has to declared).

Jaydeep.

[chitratyagi]

I think karan has proved time and again that he is the player for the future as far as indian mens tennis is concerned.This is the crucial stage in his career and he needs all support.I will not be surprised if he gives results , in 2006 or 2007,similar to sania,in 2005,because, if you follow the growth pattern of these two,it is almost identical-with the difference that sania has always opened the doors and then karan has gate crashed.

[shaili]

..... sania has always opened the doors and then karan has gate crashed.

hope this happens again and again