A promising tennis talent, Aswin Vijayaragavan, takes espnstar.com through his journey as a player.

I started playing tennis when I was 10 years old. My brother was my main inspiration as I would watch him play for hours. To be frank, I didn't enjoy the game that much at first, so, I shifted to cricket. But a few months later, when I used to watch my brother play repeatedly, I started liking the game and decided to play. Once I started enjoying, I could not resist my temptation to hold the racquet.

Gradually, I learnt the techniques, and a year later I played my first tournament at R.R.C (Secunderabad). It was an under-12 event. For a novice, I thought losing in the second round was not bad. I was satisfied with my play. I continued playing few more u-12 ones and I emerged victorious in two tourneys as well.

Then I decided to go to the next level. My parents and coaches too encouraged me a lot. I played some under-14 tournaments, but initially I did not do that well. Soon I got the hang of it and I started participating in national events. I frequently hit the headlines after reaching two national finals and winning two doubles titles in u-14 category.

The next step was under-18, and it was the same story here. I didn't have the best of starts but gradually improved. Then I began playing some ITF juniors abroad. My first overseas meet was in Morocco, which was very tough as I could not get past the second round. But it was a good learning experience. I played few more junior tournaments and had a hard time winning.

Finally, I got a break in Pakistan where I made it to the semi-finals of both singles and doubles of a tournament. This gave me a lot of confidence and my good run continued. In Chennai, I performed wonderfully before losing in singles final, while in doubles I lost in the semis.

My ranking improved with these good shows and I broke into the top 500. After Grade 5, I began playing Grade 4's and 3's and I fared pretty well. My best ITF junior ranking was 145 in the world and No. 2 in the country. My best performance in ITF courier was beating a Ukranian, who was 88 in the world. I had a consistent career in juniors as I made semis and finals of almost every tournament. I just missed the main draw of the junior Australian open my 10 ranks.

Then I started playing some men's tournaments, which is the biggest challenge for anyone. My performance at the national level has always been good. Making it to the quarter-finals in my first AITA men's tourney was a big achievement for me. I began playing Futures in India and made two ATP points. But, then I decided to go to the States to pursue my studies and tennis, since, it wasn't easy in India. I played one futures before I left for the US and lost in quarters. My best men's ranking was 1000.

Now I am doing my undergraduation in the US from the University of Texas Panamerican. I have two more years to graduate. So, I want to make the most of these two years. My main aim is to improve as much as I can and get ready for some tough tennis. After graduating, I will continue to play tournaments and my aim in life is to break into the top 100s and play Grand Slams. I am quite optimistic of that.

(As told to Sudheer Mahavaadi)