Arjun Kadhe wants to make most of Tata Open tennis wildcard entry

There are only 40 ATP World Tour 250 Series tournaments on the circuit – six of them in Asia, so getting a chance to play in one of them is a valuable experience for a youngster.

So, Pune’s Arjun Kadhe is lucky in that sense as he is one of the three along with Yuki Bhambri and Ramkumar Ramanathan to have been handed of wildcards by the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association for the Tata Open Maharashtra, the country’s only ATP 250 Series event.

READ | ‘Bhabi’ Sania Mirza spends quality time with hubby Shoaib, Pak cricketers in Lahore

“Definitely it is the biggest tournament (of my career) so far and I am really excited to go on court and experience the proceedings. My goal for the tournament is to just to go out there and try my best,” Kadhe told Hindustan Times on Thursday.

Asked whether he will face extra pressure because of the faith reposed in him by the organisers, the 23-year-old said there will be the usual pressure of playing a big tournament but nothing extra.

“I am not thinking of such things as I have nothing to lose. I will concentrate on my tennis, play my game and take things as they happen. I am not feeling any extra pressure because of the wildcard,” said Kadhe, who is ranked 608th in singles. He was rather looking forward to enjoying support of home fans.

READ | For returning tennis stars Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, fitness comes first

Kadhe, who had his first training session at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi, on Tuesday, was away from the circuit for three-and-a-half years to complete his graduation at the Oklahoma State University and did rather well on the American collegiate circuit, especially in doubles.

The Pune youngster, who says playing in NCAA improved his fitness immensely, wants to use that experience to excel on the ITF/ATP circuit. He has set himself a target of breaking into 350-400 rankings bracket by end of 2018. He recently won two ITF Futures doubles titles in the company of Aryan Goveas of Mumbai in Egypt.

READ | Roger Federer plans to keep expectations in check for 2018

“The immediate aim is to be fit, injury free and play as much as possible, make the most of the changes that come my way. I will take stock of the situation after a few years and take things forward from there,” said Kadhe, who learnt tennis from his father but now trains with coach Hemant Bendrey in Pune.