‘I need a sponsor’: Tushar Mittal seeks help to maintain on-court dream alive

With ambition in coronary heart and toes on the bottom, Tushar Mittal had began his journey into the world of tennis from an early age. A winner of a number of All India Tennis Association (AITA) occasions throughout varied age teams, the 17-year outdated’s upward trajectory has now been dealt a reasonably demoralising blow off the court docket.
Finalist within the CBSE Nationals for 2 consecutive years within the U17 class, Mittal presently struggles to take part in varied tournaments attributable to monetary constraints — particularly associated to journey, each throughout the nation and overseas.
Devoid of choices, he took to Twitter on Wednesday with an earnest plea.
“I am a professional tennis player. My rank in India was number 8 and Delhi number 1 last year in U-16 category. My mom is a single parent and it’s getting difficult for us to play higher tournaments abroad or in India with our own expense. I need support. @SonuSood @imVkohli,” stated the caption.

I AM A PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER. MY RANK IN INDIA WAS NUMBER 8 AND DELHI NUMBER 1 LAST YEAR IN U-16 CATEGORY. MY MOM IS A SINGLE PARENT AND IT’S GETTING DIFFICULT FOR US TO PLAY HIGHER TOURNAMENTS ABROAD OR IN INDIA WITH OUR OWN EXPENSE. I would like help. @SonuSood @imVkohli
— Tushar Mittal (@TusharM96651790) June 30, 2021
Yet to obtain any monetary help or help, the right-handed Mittal make clear the matter in an unique chat with the indianexpress.com over the cellphone.
“Since the turn of the year, the number of tournaments that I have been able to participate in hasn’t been up to the mark. Although I participated in internationals in New Delhi and Indore earlier this year and won nationals in Jalandhar and Chandigarh back in 2019, the opportunities are scarce right now,” he stated.
“Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, my overall preparation has also suffered a lot. Initially, I could hardly engage in practice sessions or fitness exercises as most of the courts and gyms were closed. After some time, my confidence took a hit as the detachment from tennis took a mental toll on me,” added the Class XII scholar.
“The irregularity has also resulted in a drop in my current U18 rankings to 45th.”
Mittal, who presently trains at Good Slice Tennis Academy in Paschim Vihar, New Delhi, stated that tennis gamers from the nationwide capital have suffered probably the most.
“I took to social media in an attempt to find myself a private sports agency… so that they can sponsor my equipment and my travel costs. Plus, it’s not only me,” he stated.
The quite a few trophies, together with 4 UTR match crowns, gained by Tushar Mittal.
“There are other players at my level in New Delhi who are facing tough times because of a communication gap with the authorities. Elsewhere, players from states like Gujarat or Karnataka haven’t been affected much with some of them even winning prize money in the range of Rs. 20 lakh to Rs. 22 lakh,” he added.
When he isn’t honing his forehand energy or his skill to hit a volley on the court docket, the 17-year-old Mittal attends the Bal Bharati Public School, Pitampura. Even although it’s fairly frenetic for him to take care of his day by day schedule, the Rafael Nadal fanatic stays upbeat about each his short-term and long-term profession targets.
“Having to constantly juggle between preparing for my board examinations and looking out for the next tournament can sometimes get quite hectic,” he stated.
“But hopefully, with my continued hard work, one of the applications for the U.S. universities will get accepted soon enough. In the end, I want to represent India at major tournaments like the Olympics and play in the majors,” he concluded.