Bhubaneswar: Upcoming tennis star from Odisha Debasis Sahoo will represent India in the Asia Oceania Qualifying Zone of the 2022 Junior Davis Cup and Junior Billie Jean King Cup 2022.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik tweeted to congratulate Debasis and wished him luck for the tournaments.
Congratulate tennis player Debasis Sahoo on being nominated to represent #India in the Asia Oceania Qualifying Zone of the 2022 Junior Davis Cup & Junior Billie Jean King Cup 2022. Wish him all the best for the tournaments. #OdishaForSports https://t.co/LzfpTmkh4Y
— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) April 10, 2022
A native of Lahada village in Dhenkanal district, Debasis was the first tennis player from the state to play the prestigious junior event of ‘Road to Wimbledon Master Qualifying Tournament’ in the U-14 Boys category in 2019.
He was introduced to tennis by his father, Laxmeekanta Sahoo, in 2017. “I was addicted to playing games on computer and mobile phone. My parents weren’t happy about this. They forced me to take up tennis to take my mind off gadgets. Thus, I joined the Elite Club in Patiala, Punjab,” he said.
Following humiliation from fellow club players, the boy decided to come back to Odisha. He then joined Farhan Tennis Academy in Bhubaneswar.
In February, Debasis won the AITA National Series Tournament. He bagged the Boy’s Singles Champion title in the tournament held at Sania Mirza Tennis Academy in Hyderabad.
He is currently the number one ranked player in the U-16 and U-18 categories in Odisha.
