Anjalika Kurera - Tennis star in the making
The story of Anjalika Kurera has been an incredible one. Her journey started when she was 8-years-old. From that day onwards, she dreams of becoming a professional tennis player.
Recently, she won the Under (U)-18 championship, beating her Indonesian opponent, Jessica Christa, in the ITF Juniors Circuit 3 tournament.
After her success, she sat down for an interview with the Sunday Times, to express her thoughts on how her career started and her dream to play in the Wimbledon Juniors in the near future.
Speaking about her recent success at the ITF Juniors, she said she is very proud of herself, as her victory is a reward for her commitment and dedication.
“I was very nervous leading up to the final. My Indonesian opponent was playing very well, so it was a challenge, but fortunately I was able to win after a tough battle. I’m really proud that I was able to win the championship and I think this is a reward for my commitment and dedication” she recalled with a sense of satisfaction.
Anjalika fell in love with tennis at the age of eight and went on to become the junior national champion two years later.“When I was 10, I won my first National Tennis championship and was very proud of my achievement. This year, I was selected to the National pool. I am hoping to have a long professional Tennis career, and hope my determination and commitment will help me make my motherland proud,” Anjalika stressed.
Anjalika loves Roger Federer, the Swiss Tennis star and aspires to play at the Wimbledon Juniors.
“I love the way he plays. The most important fact is how he respects his opponents. The battle between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer is my favourite battle in Tennis. I always shadow practice Federer’s stroke-play. My dream is to play at the Wimbledon Juniors and hope I can win a medal at a future Olympics,” she emphasised.
She also mentioned her Doubles partner Rukshika Wijesooriya, who gives her invaluable advice at practices, as well as during game time. “We were able to play in the semifinal of National championship. Even though we lost the semifinal, we were able to carry memories from that game, which I will cherish forever,” she elaborated.
Balancing studies and sports is a difficult task.
Her colleagues and her teachers helped her to balance this difficult task.
She does a lot of training leading up to a tournament. According to her, fitness is an important aspect in every sport.
“Fitness plays an important role in sports. I do a lot of warm-ups before a tournament. It helps to regain my energy and stamina. If we don’t do enough warm-ups, our body may break down. When I was 11, I had a shoulder injury and was away from Tennis for nearly a year. I was determined to come back, as I love the game. After the injury I was fresh and able to play my natural game,” she added.
Anjalika won her first ATF championship in Thailand. She said that the experience she had in Thailand was extremely valuable for her development as a player.
“I played with the best Tennis players in the world. There’s a vast difference in the way they play. There is a lot to learn from them. Fortunately, I was able to beat the Korean player and won the championship with God’s grace,” she recalled.
According to her, we should participate in more tournaments outside Sri Lanka, to improve our standards, which is beneficial for the development of the sport in the country.
She thanked her Principal Rev.Sr. Shermila Jayawardane, Teacher-inCharge Pushpa Perera, Coaches Arjun Fernando and Sudantha Wijeratne, Physical Trainer Ashan Soysa and former Tennis player Ranjani Jayasuriya, with gratitude.