The Freshman Fanatic: Meet Krishna Bhadrirju
Krishna Bhadrirju at the Jenks Tennis High School Courts. Courtesy of Aiden Acebo.
By Aiden Acebo
The racket swings up as the ball is tossed in the air. The whip of his wrist creates power from his body as he makes contact with the ball and skids past the opponent. The crowd goes wild. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Krishna Bhadrirju, a 9th grader at Jenks High School. Bhadrirju has been playing tennis since he was 7 years old. This is an incredible accomplishment for Bhadrirju. The #1 and 2 on our JHS team are the top 3 in the state. Being right below them as a freshman is a big opportunity. This effort has paid off, Bhadrirju is already ranked 3rd on the team lineup. The work Bhadrirju puts in clearly is represented by his rank. But when he started, he wasn’t playing competitively, he was just having fun.
Krishna hitting a serve on the Jenks High School Tennis Courts. Courtesy of Aiden Acebo.
“It started as a once-a-week kinda thing, just for fun, but I started to really enjoy it and it became a more centralized part of my life,” said Bhadrirju.
Playing tennis competitively at a young age can be challenging. Making the decision requires commitment, hard work, and perseverance. As a fellow tennis player, taking just a week off of not playing takes a toll on your skills. It can also be a struggle.
“It was difficult in the beginning because there was a difference when I took tennis casually and I took tennis more seriously,” said Bhadrirju.
The difference between playing for fun and playing to compete is a big one. When you play tennis casually, the way you play doesn’t take a toll on your mental state. Playing to win causes you to work as hard as you can until you master it. He learned dedication and authority at a young age, because of the decision to start playing seriously. The mental skills that he learned from starting young still take effect in his everyday life. Bhadrirju met some friends along the way such as Kevin Chen, a 9th grader at Jenks. Chen has also been putting up great statistics for his age. He has known Bhadrirju for some time now and has been able to see him progress into what he is now.
Kevin Chen on the Jenks Tennis Courts. Courtesy of Aiden Acebo.
“When Krishna got frustrated on the court, he was able to control and use that aggression to win the game,” said Chen.
This separates Bhadrirju from many of the tennis youth. At tournaments, kids are screaming, throwing rackets, and yelling at their parents. But not Bhadrirju; he was keeping his composure for every shot. Every difficult moment that he faces is used to get over the next obstacle. This constant chain of using the past to create the future is what is needed to prove who you are. Tennis is a difficult sport to master, so being able to show others that you are able to accomplish it is pretty impressive. Bhadrirju couldn’t have traveled this journey alone without the help of his father, Satish Bhadrirju.
“It was Krishna who saw tennis being played at a local court and spontaneously got drawn to the game when he was 7 years old,” said his father.
Once he started, not only did the numbers keep rising, but also his love for the game. Despite what one might assume, his father didn’t push Bhadrirju. His dad let him enjoy the game before letting Krishna realize that he wanted to actually achieve something with this sport rather than playing for fun. Clearly, Krishna’s genuine love for the game was able to mold him into a better athlete.
“It made us appreciate the fact that wins and losses are a part of life: cherish the wins, learn from the losses,” said Mr. Bhadrirju.
Bhadrirju’s journey affected his family in a tremendous way. His dedication was able to create a comfortable route with little challenges. As much as Bhadrirju has affected himself and his family, his family has also had a positive impact on him as well.
“Having said that, we as parents talk to him frequently about how important it is in life to realize one’s passion and work diligently towards attaining our goals and dreams. Challenges will always remain, but the power of will should never be underestimated,” said Mr. Bhadrirju.
The constant reminder to work hard and pursue your dreams is necessary to achieve something that won’t be easy. Having his parents by his side through thick and thin clearly makes this journey a little less heavy for Bhadrirju. As he sees young kids beginning their career in tennis, he sees himself in them. They help him remember the environment it was like in the beginning of his own career.
“The advice I would give to kids starting out is to trust the process and enjoy the game. It is not about how good you are, but about the love of the game,” said Bhadrirju.
He truly loves this sport and it’ll be a great time watching him exceed expectations. His goals for the future are to get into a Division 1 scholarship and be able to play as long as he can. Bhadrirju is truly an inspiration to young athletes not only because he achieved a very rare opportunity to perform well at an early age, but also the passion he carries along the way. This will only bring a positive impact on Jenks High School Tennis and we all can’t wait to see what’s in store for the future!
If you would like to watch Krishna Bhadrirju play, the JHS Tennis season begins in March 2023! Come and watch Krishna serve the competition away!