Novak Djokovic might have grabbed all the attention with a 20th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, but there was a Banerjee who made Indians (and Bengalis) swell with pride. On Sunday, 17-year-old Samir Banerjee became a part of history at The Championships by winning the boys' singles title, beating Victor Lilov 7-5, 6-3 in the summit showdown.
With the victory, the teenager became the first American in six years to win the junior championship at the All England Club. Banerjee's parents hail from India, but he was born in the US.
Apart from tennis, Samir's heart beats for India, too.
In an interview with India Today, the prodigy said, "I really appreciated everyone in India who supported me throughout the tournament. I definitely have deep roots from India. My parents grew up in India. I have been to India so many times. I have played at the RK Khanna Tennis Stadium. I represent US but in a way India too."
Now, a part of the Leander Paes club
For a teenager who has enjoyed playing both soccer and baseball, tennis is something that earned a special place in his life. "I started playing when I was 5 or 6. Playing at the weekends with my dad. I used to play baseball and soccer too, while growing up but tennis’ individual aspect attracted me to the sport. Winning and losing depends upon me. I like the challenge this sports throws. Great to put my name with the likes of Leander Paes. I came to know that he has also won the boy's singles title at the Wimbledon." Paes won the junior title at The Championships in 1990.
Future plans
Banerjee hails from New Jersey and now wishes to take up higher education in either political science or economics. But tennis will always occupy a place in his mind. "Long run, I would love to compete in the pro tournament and hopefully win it," he said.
His father was born in Assam, and his mother was brought up in Andhra Pradesh before both migrated to the USA in the mid-1980s and got married there. While Banerjee's victory is a testament to the system that US Tennis Association has put in place, India has been struggling to field a worthy contender at junior Grand Slams for some time now.
Due to the lack of a robust domestic circuit and not having enough competitions at home to earn world ranking points, India has been struggling to create the next crop of youngsters. Yuki Bhambri was the last Indian to win a junior singles title when he triumphed at the Australian Open in 2009 while Sumit Nagal won the Wimbledon boys' doubles event in 2015 with Vietnam's Ly Hoang Nam.
Ramanathan Krishnan was the first Indian to win a junior major when he won the 1954 Junior Wimbledon championship. His son Ramesh Krishnan won the 1970 junior Wimbledon and junior French Open titles.
