Developing 16-year-old Dhamne still a work in progress

Last month after Indian teen Manas Dhamne had a hit with world No.1 Jannik Sinner his fellow former Piatti Tennis Centre trainee in Monte Carlo, Sinner's coach Darren Cahill had something to say.

- Rutvick Mehta

"Manas never misses! Improving everything (sic: everytime) we see him!" the Australian coach wrote on X.

That the 16-year-old from Pune is the brightest young Indian tennis prospect has been known for a while, and, unlike most Indian players his age, Manas has already moved on from playing in the junior circuit. He thus is tracing that improvement path, of his game, body and mind, in the most unrelenting of stages: the professional tour.

One of Manas's earliest experiences of the pro tour came in Pune last year, when he was handed a wild card at the ATP 250 Maharashtra Open and provided glimpses of his potential facing the then 113th-ranked Michael Mmoh. Spending most time away from the country with his training base in Italy's Bordighera, Manas returned to play in India after a while this month.