KLH Tennis Star Shashank dreams big in Wimbledon

This student of KL Deemed to be University, Hyderabad Campus aims to lift more trophies in the coming tournaments.                 

M. Theertha Shashank, who is presently pursuing his MBA from KL Global Business School (KLGBS), is a many-splendored tennis player. He started his sports career at the age of 4 yrs in Skating. At the age of 7yrs, he played tennis on a court near his home, and during that time, the senior players on the court started praising him for his unique playing style. When his father, Mr. M. Bhaskar Murthy (Ex-CGM, Indian Express), first saw him playing tennis, he overheard the compliments of the bystanders and other players about Shashank’s aggressive playing style. He then decided to get him trained in tennis, and from there starts the mesmerizing journey of this star under the guidance of his coaches including Mr. Iliyas Ghouse, Mr. Borna Bikic, and Mr. Jagdesh.

Shashank is the most naturally gifted tennis player ever. This right-handed player who would like to play on grass surfaces has unmatched coordination with Racket and Ball, making him one of the finest Tennis Players. He practices for 7hrs in a day and is hoping to reach the ATP top 1000 by the end of the year. Shashank pursued BBA from KL Global Business School.

For Shashank, sports run in his blood. His grandfather played for the Ranji trophy team. His father represented his college during cricket tournaments. Shashank’s mother, Ms. Mungara Sreelatha, is working as a lecturer at Sri Chaitanya Junior College. Despite having a busy schedule, his parents support his dreams of becoming a Grand Slam Champion, and his mother takes time to travel with him during his tournaments.

When asked about the best career win, he replied defeating a former top 300 ranked ATP player in the singles and top former top 100 ranked players in the doubles and also defeating a top 100 ranked player in Singles. His favorite quote in life-Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.

Shashank was the youngest player to be sponsored by the GVK Group. His present sponsorers are Cirqula and Tecnifibre. His current coaches are: Mr. Suresh Krishna and Mr. Kaza Vinayak, and his fitness coaches are Mr. Gaurav Nijhon and Mr. Dion Soares. He is currently getting trained at Suresh Krishna Tennis Academy. Apart from his coaches, Imran Mirza (Father of Tennis player Sania Mirza) mentors and motivates him in many aspects of sports and life.

Shashank is popular for his awesome net play and amazing smashes. His favorite tennis player is Roger Federer, and he draws inspiration from Mike Tyson and Sania Mirza. He aims to make it into the top 300 rankings and play the main draw of a grand slam event one day.

The Vice-Chancellor, Dr. G. Pardha Saradhi Varma, of KL Deemed to be  University, appreciated Shashank’s persistence, consistency, confidence, passion, and exceptional sporting performance. Watching you get the best out of life makes us all so proud, and we know you will do your best to go even further. Good luck with your upcoming tournaments, he said.

 The University is known for its rich tradition of excelling in sports. The University supports a student-sports environment to balance the academic and sporting commitments of the students by providing a flexible and responsive learning approach and a fee waiver facility.

Theertha Shashank Career Rankings: 

• Highest Junior ITF Ranking: 441 in the world
• Highest National Junior Ranking: Number 3 in India
• Highest National Men’s Singles Ranking: 49
• Highest National Men’s Doubles Ranking: 37
• Current ITF World Tour Singles Ranking: 1356
• Current ATP Doubles Ranking: 1553

His Major Achievements:

• Junior National Champion
• KHELO INDIA Youth Games 2020 U-21 Silver Medalist
• Represented Indian Team Under 14 ITF World Junior Asia/ Oceania Championship, held at Thailand and came 5th in the whole of Asia
• Represented India in the World Junior Championship, Bangkok, Thailand
• Selected and represented India – JUNIOR DAVIS CUP TEAM
• Represented India in the HSBC Road to Wimbledon and reached the quarter-finals of the tournament, UK Wimbledon, London
• Road to Wimbledon Masters Runners up- New Delhi, India
• 5 National Series Title Holder

Doha 15K ITF Futures Semi finalist