‘This is just the start’: Maaya Rajeshwaran on historic ITF title, confidence boost and future goals

Indian tennis sensation Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi has made history by becoming the youngest Indian woman to win an ITF W35 singles title, achieving the milestone at 17 years and three months in Lagos, Portugal. The teenager capped a memorable week by winning her maiden ITF singles title without dropping a set, underlining her growing potential as she begins to make her mark on the professional circuit. She also won the doubles title, making it a memorable double triumph. For Maaya, however, the breakthrough is not a moment to get carried away with expectations. Instead, it is a confidence boost and an opportunity to build on the progress she has made.

“This is just sort of a start because it's the first title. And it's a good sign to start off the pro career. It's a good start for sure,” Maaya said in an exclusive interview with WION. “I don't think this is going to make that big of a deal, because it's just a start. And now it's just a confidence that I've given myself that I can compete better. So, probably I'll carry the confidence into the tournament that I'm going after.”

Maaya Rajeshwaran on historic ITF title: ‘I came in with no expectations’

Maaya's title run was particularly impressive because she entered the tournament as a qualifier and approached the challenge without placing unnecessary pressure on herself. With the prospect of facing the top seed early in the competition, the youngster focused on playing her best tennis rather than worrying about the outcome. “I came in with no expectations. I won a round in the qualifiers and I was set up to play the top seed in the first round. I just went out there and tried to play as good as I can because I think I was the underdog in this tournament,” she said.

The Indian teenager credited her performance to the level of tennis she produced throughout the week, acknowledging that professional tournaments demand consistency and the ability to perform on the day. “I think overall, I delivered better tennis than my opponents,” she added. One of the biggest lessons from the title-winning campaign was the importance of trusting herself. Competing against experienced opponents helped Maaya realise that she could challenge players at this level and potentially achieve even more.

“One important thing is that I really have to trust myself more, to be more confident in myself. There's always something to work on. But when you deliver a certain level and step on court next time, I just want to feel like I can do it. I can actually do better and I can actually be there,” she said. “That sort of confidence has developed this week for sure, which wasn't there before.”

Maaya Rajeshwaran recalls stunning comeback from 0-5 down

One of the defining moments of Maaya's title-winning campaign came during her match against Justina, when she found herself trailing 0-5 in the opening set. Rather than giving up, the teenager concentrated on staying in the set and taking the match one point at a time. Recalling the comeback, Maaya revealed that a simple thought helped her change her approach. “I looked at the clock and it was, I think, 25 minutes into the match. And the first thing that came into my mind is, I'm not losing a set in 25 minutes,” she said.

“So I just tried to stay. I just tried to play one point at a time and stay alive in the set as long as I could.” The comeback shifted the momentum in her favour, allowing her to carry the confidence into the second set. “First of all, if I'm taking a set from 0-5 down, I think that plays a part. The momentum was with me and I just tried to keep going the way that I was, not changing anything,” she added.

Maaya also revealed how she handled the pressure of the championship point in the final. Instead of dwelling on the significance of the moment, she tried to relax and keep her mind away from the outcome. “I started singing something in my head just to get out, just to be light and just let go. And I think that really helped. By the match point, I didn't really think of it as match point. It was just another point for me,” she said.

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Maaya Rajeshwaran on Sania Mirza: ‘She'll forever be my idol’

As India's youngest woman to win an ITF W35 singles title, Maaya is beginning to establish her own identity in Indian tennis. Yet, she remains deeply respectful of the players who helped inspire her journey. Asked about surpassing Sania Mirza, Maaya was quick to emphasise the legendary Indian tennis star's lasting impact on the sport. “I don't think you can actually surpass her, because she's a legend and she'll always remain a legend,” she said.

“I still do look up to her in a lot of ways because I think she was the idol when I was growing up in the country. She's someone who's made tennis visible in the country after so many years.” Maaya revealed that she follows Sania's podcasts and interviews and hopes to learn more from the former Indian tennis star in the future. “I still look up to her, hear all her podcasts, hear all her interviews. And I think with Sania, she'll remain a legend and she'll forever be my idol,” she added.

Maaya targets women's rankings breakthrough

Currently ranked world no. 16 in the ITF junior rankings and world no. 1038 in the WTA singles rankings, Maaya is looking to build on her maiden professional singles title and make further progress in the women's game. The teenager has begun competing more regularly in professional tournaments in Europe and acknowledged that the transition from the junior circuit to the senior level is still a learning process. “I haven't played so many tournaments to actually experience that transition on a larger scale. This is one of the very few pro tournaments that I've played in Europe,” she said. “The plan is to play more pro tournaments. I'm still here and I'm looking forward to a lot of good, exciting stuff because I don't know how the transition's going to look, to be honest.”

Maaya also confirmed that she had moved on from the Rafa Nadal Academy and was training at the Elite Tennis Centre (ETC) in the south of France, where she has been based for the past couple of months. Looking ahead, the focus will be on competing more, making technical improvements and strengthening her physical conditioning as she prepares for the next stage of her career. “I want to compete more. I'm going to take some time to train, to improve some technical changes, to build more physically. I think that is important as well, to stay out of injuries, to build more physically, to be more fit and agile on court,” she said.

For now, Maaya's approach remains simple: continue working, enjoy competing and allow the results to follow. “I'm just going to go and try to give my best, see what happens. I don't think you can actually decide earlier that you want to win this tournament or whatever. I just want to go play and enjoy, have fun on court and see how it goes,” she signed off.