Remember the name – Samir Banerjee
The American wins his first junior Grand Slam singles title by beating Victor Lilov in the boys’ singles final#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/Xc3ueczg5m
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2021
“There were a lot of Indians there, supporting me a lot. I really appreciated that. Some were shouting very loudly, some asked me for photographs afterwards. I’m obviously not from India, I’m American. But having Indian relatives and parents, it makes me appreciate the culture and everything that goes with it,” he told the Indian Express later.
Here’ss what we know about him:
Indian Parents
Congratulations to New Jersey’s own Samir Banerjee on winning the #Wimbledon boys’ singles title! We’re looking forward to watching you dominate the court for years to come. https://t.co/TQoA1KPiyt
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) July 11, 2021
Banerjee’s father was born in Assam, and his mother was brought up in Andhra Pradesh. They both migrated to the USA in the mid-1980s before getting married there. Samir was born in 2004 and lives with his family in New Jersey. He started his pro tennis career as recently as last year.
Strong Start
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A post shared by Samir Banerjee (@samirbanerjee_)
The teenager has already won five titles, all of them on clay. He has reached the final of 10 of the 17 tournaments he has featured in so far, but crashed out in the first round of his maiden grand slam appearance at the French Open this year.
Wimbledon Underdog
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Banerjee, who entered Wimbledon ranked No. 19 in the boys’ rankings, was not among the favourites to lift silverware this week, not even close, and testified by his unseeded status. “He served better, he returned a bit better and he had control of most of the match,” his opponent Lilov said after the match.
Net Advantage
A future men’s champion?
Samir Banerjee might well be a name you become more familiar with in the future#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/byAEBwBrSp
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2021
The 6-ft-2 teenager has the tendency of coming up to the net, winning 17 of his 19 approach shots in the final. According to experts, it’s something very unusual for young players, who like to stay at the baseline.
College Calling?
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A post shared by Samir Banerjee (@samirbanerjee_)
Despite the Wimbledon win, his future remains unclear due to (guess what?) academics. He’s contemplating his decision to enter the US college tennis stream, with Columbia University lined up next year. “I’ll have to make a decision later on because I still have another year before I go to college,” he said in an interview. Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, it seems.
Image credits: Instagram/@SamirBanerjee_, @Wimbledon
The post 5 Things To Know About Samir Banerjee, The Indian-Origin Winner Of Boys Wimbledon 2021 appeared first on Man's World India.
#Sports #SamirBanerjee #WimbledonJunior
