The first Indian to win a junior Australian Open singles' title, teen tennis sensation Yuki Bhambri has now set his sights on earning a
Davis Cup cap.
"Every player who picks up the racquet dreams of becoming a part of the Indian team. I am no different. Definitely I want to wear that shirt with India written on the back," Yuki said on Monday.
"I don't know when that time will come. Perhaps it will take one or one-and-a-half years. It's up to the selectors. I will keep improving and doing all the hard work," he added.
The 16-year-old returned home after giving India its fourth junior grand slam title and was overwhelmed by the reception at the Delhi Airport. Going into the tournament as top seed and world number two player, Yuki was confidence personified.
The Delhi teen sensation says playing against better and stronger players on the senior circuit gave him the confidence to realise his dream of winning a Grand Slam crown.
"This is quite an achievement. For the last two months I have been doing well. Playing with top players gave me the confidence. Before going to Australia I had played on the senior circuit.
"That was the best way to prepare as a lot of juniors are even better than many lower ranked seniors. So, to beat the competition I chose to play a few senior tournaments and it paid off," Yuki said.
"I know if I can perform well here (senior circuit), I will have a chance to win in Australia. And the reception was really unexpected. I did not expect that so many people would be there to receive me," he added.
Yuki is making a gradual transition from junior to senior level and he would be concentrating entirely on the senior circuit henceforth.
"Definitely, the focus will be on senior circuit now," he declared.
Talking about his Australian Open journey, Yuki said, "I was nervous in the first round. That was a tough match also but once I crossed that, I became more comfortable and confident. In a way, I knew this (title) is coming. I had prepared well."
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