Manas Dhamne keeping it slow-and-steady: 'Progress more important than results'

New Delhi: It was an all Piatti Academy final at the ITF M15 Zahra in Kuwait. On one side was Manas Dhamne and on the other was his coach Riccardo Piatti's son Rocco. The top-seeded Indian got the job done in straight sets (7-5, 6-3) for his first title of the year and third since turning pro in 2023.Before shifting focus to the ATP 50 Chennai Challenger, which got underway on Monday, it was perfect preparation for Dhamne. He came into the ATP Challenger, a step above in the ladder, having dropped just one set all week in Kuwait.

The outcome, however, wasn't desirable. He lost 3-6, 2-6 to fourth seed Ilia Simakin in the singles draw and 3-6, 6-2, 8-10 in the doubles alongside Atharva Sharma. But the 18-year-old Dhamne isn't willing to get bogged down by defeats and focusing on the slow-but-steady climb."I think this is where the experience of my team really helps me. (Joao) Fonseca is a great player but he is also older then me and way ahead of me still," he told TimesofIndia.com when asked about seeing the likes of 19-year-old Fonseca get plenty of attention. "I am working on my own progress. The progress is more important than the results. If the progress is good the results will come. If the results will come the ranking will come.

It’s as simple as that," he added.

Dhamne's training base is in Bordighera, Italy at the Piatti Tennis Center, which has produced the likes of Jannik Sinner, Borna Coric and Ana Bogdan. The lead figure, Ricardo, has coached some of the top players in the world: former World No. 3 Ivan Ljubcic, 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic, ex-World No. 9 Richard Gasquet, former Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic and Sinner until 2022. It was in 2018 that he launched the academy which houses multiple budding tennis stars of the future.Dhamne aspires to enter this illustrious list but prefers to keep himself grounded with his team playing a key role."My team around me is very professional. Riccardo and his team have produced the best players in the world and I am learning from them. Not just in terms of coaching, but also in terms of physical training, mental training, nutrition, etc.," he explained. "Same with my management team (IMG), they have so much experience in helping players get to the top, I am learning from this every week.

So when you ask me about learning curve it is a lot about new experiences...first time I played a 15K, first time I played a Challenger, first time I played an ATP event….all were tough challenges, but this is what I am working on all these days. "One thing is clear, the Pro Tour is tough. Players are very good, mentally never give up, and physically very fit. I am working day in and day out to be there with them," he continued.

For many tennis players, the challenge lies in deciding when to go pro. It is a tricky position that needs delicate balance of going from college/junior level to the upper echelons. For Dhamne, that decision came in 2023 and he made his ATP Tour debut at the Tata Open Maharashtra as a wildcard. Even though he lost, he became the first player born in 2007 to compete in a main draw match on the men's tennis tour.Now, at 18, Dhamne, at World No. 486, is the second youngest player in the ATP top-500 ranking, behind Diego Dedura of Germany.

The learning curve continues for Manas and seeing the best around keeps him motivated."I have been very lucky to be based at Piatti Academy. Because I am there I have already hit with players like Sinner, (Daniil) Medvedev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, (Grigor) Dimitrov, etc. So I have already experienced for a while the incredible level these guys produce. They just don’t miss."