Published: Publish Date – 10:15 pm, Thu – 10 March 22
Thaniya Sarai
Hyderabad: It is a dream come true for 13-year-old tennis player Thania Sarai Gogulamanda. The talented youngster overcame all odds to make it to the Indian U-14 girls’ tennis team for the upcoming U-14 ITF World Junior Tennis Championships final qualifying event to be held in New Delhi from April 18-23.
Autorickshaw driver Samson’s daughter Thania has performed brilliantly in the junior category. With her consistent performance, she climbed to India’s No. 3 spot in the Under-14 category and made it to the Indian team along with Aishwarya Dayanand Jadhav and Sohini Sanjay Mohanty.
Samson, a resident of Rajahmundry, saw a spark in the seven-year-old Thania. Although he struggled to make ends meet, Samson made sure his daughter followed his passion. He moved to Hyderabad to treat his ailing mother, while Thania began training at St. Thomas’ School. Then she shifted to Sania Mirza Tennis Academy and was offered free training. But Samson could not drive the auto as the academy was on the outskirts. He then shifted his family to Manikonda to address the financial struggle. Thania now trains at a professional tennis academy under coach Mohamed Ghaus.
“I am very happy to be able to make it to the Indian team. This has been my goal since the beginning of the year. Now that I have made it to the Indian team, I want to show my talent and do well for the country,” said the youngster who dreams of winning Grand Slam in future.
She represented India in the ITF World Junior Tennis Championships Asia/Oceania Final qualifying round matches held in Kazakhstan last year when she was 12 years old.
Recalling Thania’s determination to do well, Samson said, “After my mother died, Thania was shattered. She wanted to play tennis and earn money to adopt the hospital where her grandmother died. She is a determined girl. She also got sponsorship from Rohan Bopanna and his sports school. But the parents were not allowed to be with their children. So we opted for education alone instead of coaching,” he said. Thania is now a student of Class VIII in a sports school.
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