The Sky’s the limit: Malikaa Marathe
Malikaa, like many other athletes who strive for excellence in their chosen field, is self-driven and self-motivated and trains all day with a determination and passion that goes beyond her young years. She started playing tennis at the age of 7 as recreational process and that was where she found out the love for the sport.
Just at a tender age of 14, Malikaa Marathe is going to Paris to play in a pre-qualifier tournament for French Open. After defeating opponents much older than her in the range of 15 to 17, she reached qualifying tournament called Rendez-Vouz à Roland Garros where she was the youngest competitor.
Despite her pursuing tennis being frowned due to health issues, Malikaa worked hard with immense resolve and self-motivation. With the help of Lakshya, an organization that helps upcoming athletes with by providing them with necessary stuff related to sports she trained to her level best and started making a buzz in the society by winning tournaments after tournaments.
Here is a list of her achievement of which we are proud of:
- 3rd Fujairah ITF Junior West Asia Cup
- Won 16th UAE Dubai ITF Junior Championships
- Guwahati ITF Juniors
- Indore ITF Juniors
- Won MSLTA - Gadre Seafoods ITF Junior Championship
- In the girls' under-12 event, Pune girl Malikaa Marathe shocked eighth seed Himadri Kashyap of Gujarat and reached quarterfinals.
- She was one of the competitors from over 200 others chosen for HSBC Road to Wimbledon 2017 in the city
- Won U-10 Tournament (2013)
- Won National U12 Tournament (2015)
- Represented India at the first division of the ITF Asia U-14 and Under Development Championships.
- Qualified for pre-qualifying Tournament for French Open (2017)
She is a resident of Pune and had been trained under Mr Hemant Bendre during her early years. Currently, she is being coached by Sandeep Kirtane, a former tennis player who had won Arjun Award in 2001. “She’s mentally very tough, at such a young age. It’s a rare quality” says Sandeep Kirtane. He also added that “What I noticed about her was that though she was so young was that she was not scared to compete. She wasn’t scared of losing. At that age, most children are scared. They make excuses. No one wants to go first. ‘My head is paining’, they will say. Or ‘My hand is paining’. But Malikaa was always ready for her next opponent. She wasn’t ever scared of the limelight. In one word, she was bindaas!”
She is being sponsored by Lakshya Sports and Sony Pictures Networks who help her by providing necessary coaching, equipment, medical facilities and travel expenses. Malikaa Marathe continues to dazzle and inspire us with her mettle and determination. She is India’s Top U14 tennis player. Her continued excellence in the sport will surely help her find a great and bright future.
Just at a tender age of 14, Malikaa Marathe is going to Paris to play in a pre-qualifier tournament for French Open. After defeating opponents much older than her in the range of 15 to 17, she reached qualifying tournament called Rendez-Vouz à Roland Garros where she was the youngest competitor.
Despite her pursuing tennis being frowned due to health issues, Malikaa worked hard with immense resolve and self-motivation. With the help of Lakshya, an organization that helps upcoming athletes with by providing them with necessary stuff related to sports she trained to her level best and started making a buzz in the society by winning tournaments after tournaments.
Here is a list of her achievement of which we are proud of:
- 3rd Fujairah ITF Junior West Asia Cup
- Won 16th UAE Dubai ITF Junior Championships
- Guwahati ITF Juniors
- Indore ITF Juniors
- Won MSLTA - Gadre Seafoods ITF Junior Championship
- In the girls' under-12 event, Pune girl Malikaa Marathe shocked eighth seed Himadri Kashyap of Gujarat and reached quarterfinals.
- She was one of the competitors from over 200 others chosen for HSBC Road to Wimbledon 2017 in the city
- Won U-10 Tournament (2013)
- Won National U12 Tournament (2015)
- Represented India at the first division of the ITF Asia U-14 and Under Development Championships.
- Qualified for pre-qualifying Tournament for French Open (2017)
She is a resident of Pune and had been trained under Mr Hemant Bendre during her early years. Currently, she is being coached by Sandeep Kirtane, a former tennis player who had won Arjun Award in 2001. “She’s mentally very tough, at such a young age. It’s a rare quality” says Sandeep Kirtane. He also added that “What I noticed about her was that though she was so young was that she was not scared to compete. She wasn’t scared of losing. At that age, most children are scared. They make excuses. No one wants to go first. ‘My head is paining’, they will say. Or ‘My hand is paining’. But Malikaa was always ready for her next opponent. She wasn’t ever scared of the limelight. In one word, she was bindaas!”
She is being sponsored by Lakshya Sports and Sony Pictures Networks who help her by providing necessary coaching, equipment, medical facilities and travel expenses. Malikaa Marathe continues to dazzle and inspire us with her mettle and determination. She is India’s Top U14 tennis player. Her continued excellence in the sport will surely help her find a great and bright future.
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