When the junior Davis Cupper decided to test his recently healed shoulder during the second week of the Fenesta Open, little did he expect to be playing the final. But when local boy Garvit Batra got the better of Andhra Pradesh's M Sai Nikhil 7-5, 6-2 in the boys' under-16 singles semifinal on Friday, he couldn't have asked for a better testing ground.
Having injured his shoulder during the junior nationals quarterfinals in Chennai in August, Batra decided to take it easy. Instead of trying to get back to the game in a hurry, he went through intense rehabilitation for two months.
Once the pain subsided, and the 15-year-old was able to lift his arm again, he began his practice sessions at Siri Fort.
The city hosted three tournaments in the past three weeks. Though Batra wanted to test himself during the first tournament at Saket, he felt he wasn't mentally prepared.
Then the senior Fenesta Open went by and this week was his last chance to get match practice before leaving to play three ITF Futures events in different parts of the country. Still playing reservedly and taking it easy during service games, Batra is just happy that the injury hasn't come back to haunt him.