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PWR DUPR India Masters : U-16 Boys Double Crown Winner Dev Shah Eyes Olympic Glory For India In Pickleball | EXCLUSIVE
It wasn't an overnight success for Dev Shah in the PWR DUPR India Masters. He started preparing for the competition a long time back and always took out 4-5 hours a day for training to achieve greater heights.
U-16 Boys Double Crown Winner Dev Shah Eyes Olympic Glory For India In Pickleball
When we think about a 16-year-old boy, the first thing that comes to our mind is a school kid in the adolescent stage, with a plethora of dreams to fulfill. Dev Shah is not just a regular 16-year-old. The teenager is not only good in his age group but can also give the big boys a good run for their money - who are double his age!
At the PWR DUPR India Masters, Shah, who hails from Gujarat's Ahmedabad, not only bagged the age-level U-16 Boys Double Crown - Singles and Doubles title, he also crossed swords with his coach, Dhiren Patel and even faced off against the star of the tournament, the triple-crown champion, Armaan Bhatia in the Pro Men's category.
Dev happens to be more of a football and cricket lover and has excelled in both sports at school-level competitions. But what compelled him to take up pickleball?
''It was during the COVID time when everything was shut down and even the schools were on online mode, pickleball happened for Dev'', Dev's mother told Pickleball Now in an exclusive interaction.
''For the past year, he was at home and he has put on a lot of weight. As a mother, I can't see my son going from fit to unfit. So near our house, there is a tennis academy, which is run by Dhiren Patel. Initially, we asked Dhiren sir to teach him tennis but then this pickleball came to the scene and now it has been three years. We are all very proud of him,'' she added.
The teenager was impressed by the centre court and the facilities, which were provided to the players during the course of the India Masters, and playing against overseas stars was one of the best experiences for him.
''Yes. I loved the center court and the facilities provided for the players. Yeah, I've played against many foreign players, so it was a very great experience,'' Dev said.
Speaking of his performance at the PWR DUPR India Masters, apart from competing in the U16 Boys category, he also featured in the group stages of all the Men's Pro categories as well.
In the U16 Boys Singles Category, he defeated his close friend, Purvansh Patel 15-11 in the final and then teamed up with him to clinch the U16 Boys Doubles as well.
''Been partners from the start, we already have a very great connection on the court and off the court, he also happens to be a very good friend of mine,'' Shah talked about his camaraderie with Purvansh.
It wasn't an overnight success for Dev in the PWR DUPR India Masters. He started preparing for the competition long back and always took out 4-5 hours a day for training and the result is right in front of our eyes.
''I've been practicing for this particular tournament for a very long time. I also train around 4 to 5 hours daily to keep myself in that position and to remain at my best''.
Almost every player has a pre-match ritual and our young star here does that with a 'sweet' twist. Before every match, Dev's mother gives him something sweet to eat, that could be a chocolate or a protein bar and he follows the ritual ahead of any game.
''My mom always gives me something sweet to eat before every match. I prefer a chocolate or a protein bar and that's what I follow,'' he revealed.
Speaking of Dhiren Patel, he is one of the best 35+ Men's Singles players in the world, who also competed at the PWR DUPR India Masters. He even went head-to-head with his student, Dev in the Play-Off for Round 1 of Pro Men's Category but the 16-year-old lost by a slender margin of 15-13.
''He's very good with all the people he trained. Especially with me, he's very great. Sir is very calm during every situation. So I learned that from him to keep yourself composed in every stage of a match,'' Dev said.
Speaking of the international players, he had the opportunity to play against Australian duo Mitchell Hargreaves and Katlynn Hart during the Pro Mixed Doubles group phase clash and even had a face-off with the former in a Singles match, which was also the group phase of the competition. Naturally, he didn't get past any of them but it was a memorable experience for the Ahmedabad boy.
He did manage to get the better of Latvia star, Nikita Ribakovs 11-7 in one of the group stage matches of the Pro Men's Singles category.
Dev took home, one learning from the foreigners - do not make silly mistakes and be more consistent with shot selection.
''So I played against them, and I saw that they commit less silly errors like most of which we do. They are more consistent in their shots''.
The Indian prodigy also had the chance to play against Aditya Ruhela, one of India's top picklers in the Doubles category of the tournament. But the biggest opponent of them all was triple crown winner, Armaan Bhatia. He met the 25-year-old during the group phase of the Pro Men's category but he was no match for him as he eventually lost the game 11-4.
At the DUPR 16 Team event, Dev with his team comprising of Vivan Patel, Meha Shah, and Kruti Patel finished up as runners-up of the event.
The Gujarat boy is on the verge of becoming a pro, given the kind of rough-and-tough character he possesses at such a young age. But his big dream is to represent the nation at the Olympics.
'' I'm on the way to be turning pro and I want to pursue this as my career. I hope to represent India in the Olympics as well," Shah concluded.
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