Pune: Seventeen-year-old Gautam Venkatraman served notice of his immense potential when he stunned eighth seed Tavish Pahwa 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in an opening round boys’ singles match at the Gadre Marine J100 ITF Juniors tennis tournament at Deccan Gymkhana on Tuesday (December 2, 2025).Standing 6′-4″, the Hong Kong-born Singapore-based Indian demonstrated his big serving prowess with the way he battled back from a set and a break down to get past Tavish, the Fenesta Open National Under-18 and Under-16 champion.“I think it’s a big win for me. I’ve struggled in the past a lot with these three set matches, and you know, in the first set, I was not playing my best tennis. But I’m very happy with how I finished the match and stayed composed,” Gautam, who trains under Sascha Nensel in Germany, said after the match.Gautam, two years older but at 966 ranked 430 spots lower than Tavish, delivered six aces in the match, five of them in the decider.“My first serve was my biggest weapon (today). I was able to hit some good serves on big points, and that really helped me to keep the match in my favour,” the youngster, who has his roots in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, said. “I was also striking the forehands very well and moving it from side to side. And I didn’t give him much rhythm. So I think that was the main takeaway (from today’s match).”Tavish, energised after a five-month stint at the All In Tennis Academy in France this year, fought back from 0-40 to make it deuce at 4-4 in the final set. But the 15-year-old found the tide too much against him and he surrendered the game at 40-Ad with a double fault.“I am not gonna lie, I was a bit nervous when I lost those three points. Was not a good feeling, but I tried to stay focused and focus on my breathing, and I was able to take the fourth opportunity,” said Gautam, who indulged in cricket and basketball before choosing tennis at the age of 10.When Tavish broke him to go up 3-2 in the second set, Gautam levelled the score in the very next game. Even more impressive was how the teenager eloquently explained his approach to such back-to-the-wall situations.“I have this rule where a break is not a break until you follow it up with a hold. So when he broke, I knew that that specific game was my best chance to stay in the match,” he said. “I was able to break back by trying to put a bit more pressure, because in longer rallies, I think he was the favourite. So when I rushed (to) the net and put more pressure, I was able to take some more points.”Rush to the net he did often, as should a big-server like him. The results did not go his way cent percent, but that didn’t deter him from the gutsy approach.“I think even when I missed a couple volleys, a couple smashes, I have to keep doing it, because I think in terms of percentages, I’ll always win more than I lose. So even when I lose a few at the net, it’s important for me to keep sticking to the plan.”Gautam, who had reached the final of a J60 event in Poland three weeks ago, is playing for the time in India. That should explain his second round loss in Delhi last week.“Yeah, I definitely thought it took some time to get used to not only the heat, but I personally found these courts very quick. In Germany, I’m playing on red clay, so it’s much slower. So it took some time to switch to that, but I think I’ve gotten my rhythm.”His tryst with tennis began at the age of three when he would pick the balls while his elder sister played. But it didn’t become a passion until he had tried his hand at cricket and basketball.“I realized that I love to play solo sports. In these team sports, I was not really able to dictate the game as much as I could in tennis, because I’m the only one on the court.”He was enrolled into ALC academy, where he was coached by Alex Chen. Soon he realized he needed “more intensity”, leading to his move to Nensel. “During Covid, there was this travel lane, you know, and Germany was one of the options. And I had also heard about Sumit Nagal training there, and he’s one of my big inspirations. So I decided, ‘he must be doing something, right? So let me also go there’.”Asked who were his sporting idols, Gautam said: “Definitely Nadal. I think the way he fights on the court and doesn’t let the past points get to him, that’s why he’s definitely been one of my idols. And then I would say, also some big servers like Raonic. I love to see the way they construct the point.”
