Tennis coach C.V Nagraj continues to draw India’s Davis Cup stars to his Hyderabad academy

When some of the members of the core group of Indian tennis — Davis Cuppers J. Vishnu Vardhan, Saketh Myneni, Anirudh Chandrasekhar (doubles winner in the Bengaluru ATP Challenger) — make it a point to train at the School of Power Tennis (Railway Recreation Club), they have a reason. They adore their C.V. Nagraj who founded this Academy about three decades ago.

By all means, 65-year-old Nagraj presents a picture of commitment, passion and sincerity in moulding the raw talent (even now about 40 boys and girls train there) with the biggest motivation being “to produce more international players and share my knowledge and experience to young players and ensuring that their careers are shaped in the right way”.

Despite diligently doing his job in the relatively low-profile academy producing six Davis Cuppers from the city, Nagraj belongs to the old school of thought – do your job and leave the rest to destiny.

Vishnu is “amazed” at his coach’s unbridled passion even now. “See, we all decided to train here today and he so meticulously arranged the schedule to our convenience. I mean this he has been doing for every player over the years with the same enthusiasm,” Vishnu said.

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“We always make it a point to be with Nagraj Sir; whenever we are in the city, and if it is possible, before we go abroad to play international events. We are in such a comfort zone,” he said.

“For me, the most impressive part is the kind of discipline and work ethics he had inculcated in us over the years. That’s why I always tell parents here that even if the young talent may not be big in the sport for different reasons, they will be successful in their careers,” said Vishnu.

For his part, Anirudh, who started playing tennis at the Academy like his brother P.C. Vignesh at a very young age, said that it was not just about tennis with Nagraj sir. “The biggest lesson we all learnt is discipline in life under his mentorship. His commitment and the kind of hard work he puts up every day even now is something unbelievable,” he said.

And, Saketh said, “Nagraj Sir is an inspirational figure for all of us. It has been a fantastic journey with him. We always have a great time whenever we play here as most of us assemble for these sessions.”