Shivali Gurung playing in the Asia Pacific Elite Trophy under the Grand Slam Player Development Program
What you should know
Nepali junior tennis player Shivali Gurung has got the opportunity to present herself in the global arena of tennis.
Shivali is playing in the Asia Pacific Elite Trophy during the Grand Slam Tennis Australian Open. The first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open, will be held in Melbourne from January 17 to February 1.
The Elite Trophy under the Grand Slam Player Development Program will be held from January 26 to 30. Shivali will go to Malaysia on Sunday to prepare for the tournament. For that, her sponsors Bhatbhateni Supermarket and Infinity had bid her farewell on Friday.
She will compete in the U-14 category. In it, there will be a competition between the top eight junior players in Asia.
The Asian Tennis Federation and Tennis Australia have started the Elite Trophy during the Grand Slam to give exposure to talented junior players from Asia, informed Nepal Tennis Association President Manohardas Mool. He said, "It is a great opportunity for a junior to watch the world's professional players play on the same court, and Shivali got that opportunity because of her hard work."
Shivali is the fourth-ranked player in Asia's U-14 category. Shivali had gone to France, Germany, and Belgium to receive tennis training under the Tennis to Europe program.
Shivali, who became the first Nepali player to win the ITF J30 tournament held in Pokhara last December, also became the champion at the Machhapuchhre Open tennis tournament last week. In the process, she defeated Sunira Thapa.
Shivali said that she was excited as the trip to Australia is the gateway to the Grand Slam. She said, "I am very excited, but I am also nervous. I will show my game. This is definitely a big opportunity in my tennis journey, I will learn a lot from this. It will help me a lot in reaching the Grand Slam in the future."
Shivali is also hopeful that she will be able to meet her 'idol' players in person. She is impressed by the games of players like Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcarez, Novak Djokovic. She said, 'I used to watch their games on television, but now I hope to be able to watch them on the court.'
Shivali, who started playing tennis at the age of 6 with the inspiration of her father Seemant Gurung, has won dozens of junior titles. At a program organized by Bhatbhateni and Infinity on Friday to boost her morale, Bhatbhateni Executive Director Kalyan Gurung wished her success, saying that Nepalis should be proud of Shivali's journey to the global stage.
Alokjung Joshi informed that Bhatbhateni has sponsored Shivali worth Rs 2 million since last year, while Infinity CEO Praveen Gurung said that Shivali has been providing necessary clothes to Shivali. He also announced that Shivali has become Infinity's brand ambassador.
Daffodil School Principal Uttam Kumar Lama, ANFA President Pankaj Nembang, social worker Pahalman Gurung and others wished Shivali success. Uttam Kumar encouraged Shivali by providing Rs 5 lakh as a financial aid.
At the same event, Bhatbhateni had provided a scholarship worth Rs 1 million to Apriit Karki, who had performed brilliantly in cricket at the age of 5.
