A Champion Like No Other: 14-Year Old Ana Varshney Ranks 12 in the All India Tennis Association in Under-16
In Her Own League: Actress Anshu Varshney’s 14-Year Old Daughter Ana Varshney Ranks 12 in the All India Tennis Association
Those who identify their calling early in life and work tremendously hard towards achieving them never lose focus and achieve all that they wish to. 14-year-old Ana Varshney’s success story serves as a testimony to this. At the very young age of three, Ana’s father encouraged her to take up a sport. He started teaching her the ropes of tennis and in very little time, Ana picked up the nuances of this outdoor sport and became very good at it. Seeing her inherent talent in tennis, her parents enrolled her in a sports institute in Noida for professional training. To polish her skills further, Ana played in several other institutes including the Jassowal’s Harvest Tennis Academy in Punjab.
After winning several tournaments across India and setting many records, Ana has now been ranked 12 in the All India Tennis Association. This is a major achievement for a sportsperson, more so for somebody who is just 14 years of age.
Talking about this achievement, Ana says, “I feel humbled to be recognized by the All India Tennis Association and ranked so highly by them. When my efforts get validation, I feel further motivated to work hard and improve my skills. I am happy that I found my passion at the age of three and I hope I make my country proud with this sport.”
Ana’s success as a tennis player can be attributed to her disciplined lifestyle and focus on her sport. Unlike most teenagers, Ana keeps a distance from social media, television and junk food. She prefers being in the lap of nature and her diet comprises of milk, fruits and vegetables. After waking up early in the morning, she spends a good amount of time working out and then, gets ready for school. She manages to keep a fine balance between her studies and practice sessions and ensures that she gets to do everything that makes her happy.
Elaborating further on her journey as a professional tennis player, Ana says, “It’s been three years since I started playing tennis professionally. I have been fortunate enough to be a part of many memorable tournaments. I have played in the under-16 category and once I managed to secure a win against an opponent who was among the top 5 AITA rankers at that point of time. While wins make everybody happy, what I wish for is a match played well.”
One person who has contributed greatly to Ana’s success is her mother, Anshu Varshney. Apart from being a part of the entertainment industry for the last several years, Anshu is also a popular motivational speaker. She was crowned Mrs. India Runner Up in the year 2018 and has been a part of TV commercials for brands like Dabur, HDFC, Dettol, Cadbury, Everest and Philips among others. She has appeared in many popular TV shows like The Kapil Sharma Show and is widely remembered for her performances in digital shows like ALTBalaji’s ‘Mentalhood’.
On supporting her daughter towards achieving her goals, Anshu says, “In a lot of ways, I started a new journey as an actor and a motivational speaker in the second innings of my life. So, I know how important it is to support somebody’s dream who is passionate about it. I am extremely proud of Ana not just because she is my daughter but for all that she has managed to achieve as an individual. She inspires me every day with everything that she does. As a mother, what more could I have asked for!”.
“My mother has been a pillar of support for me. As a sportsperson, you go through many ups and downs in your career and you need emotional support at all times. Even when something goes wrong, my mother makes me realize there will be another day and many great opportunities will come. She is my biggest cheerleader and strongest support system”, Ana says.
Ana’s father Abhishek Varshney, who inspired her to take up sports at the age of three, says, “I have always believed that making sports a part of one’s life helps in building personality and confidence. Tennis was an integral part of my life, so I thought of introducing Ana to it. However, the way she picked it up left me amazed. She was born to be a sportsperson. As parents, we have tried to do our best for her but it’s her discipline and passion for tennis that has helped her reach where she is today.”
With the kind of achievements Ana has to her credit already, she clearly has a great and long career ahead of her as a tennis player. American sportsperson Serena Williams is her biggest inspiration and one wouldn’t be surprised if she manages to achieve more than what her idol has.