TRIBUNNEWS.COM - It seems that not many Indonesians have heard the familiar name of this young tennis athlete. In fact, his contribution to the advancement of tennis in this country is really touching and deserves abundant recognition.

He is Ishaan Keswani, a teenager with Indian blood who has been passionate about tennis from an early age. He is currently studying at the Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS), Terogong, South Jakarta.

Since the age of five, his parents have introduced him to tennis with the dream that one day he will be the next Roger Federer.

To Tribunnews via Zoom video conference, Ishaan talked about his love for tennis and his noble idea of teaching this sport to other children.

Falling in love with tennis since his childhood

Fulfilling the grand dream of becoming a good tennis player is a road full of obstacles. Ishaan had to train very hard, and it was not easy to arouse his interest at that time, when playing the iPad might be more attractive for children of his age.

“Even though I was only five when I started, I almost immediately was competitive and was fuelled by my desire to become just as good as my coach or better.  I fell in love with the satisfaction and feeling of hitting shots and leaving my ‘take no prisoners’ attitude all on the court. I hated losing and, if I’m honest, it has never gotten easier. So in order to avoid that dreaded feeling, I constantly practiced and never let myself accept ‘ok’ or ‘good enough’ because that attitude could land me on the losing side,” said Ishaan.

However, he was uninspired to train at first. There were too many rules, and he hated running so much.

One day, his coach told him that he had to hit 100 balls from a machine. He remembered panicking in fear of the ball hitting him, so he held his racket as far out as he could and closed his eyes. He survived!

Thankfully, he eventually got over his fears, and tennis evolved into his obsession day by day. Ishaan declares, “Tennis was more than just a game; tennis gave me things that can’t be scored or measured, like a sense of how to handle pressure, how to be mentally strong, how to maintain and grow confidence, and how to set goals for myself.”

Going beyond her fear at that time made him realize: tennis was indeed a part of her life.

Slowly, tennis became her number one obsession. It has always been an escape for him to vent all the problems, demons, and stressors that everyday life brings him.

And he arrived at the moment where he learned his hard work. He has been in various competitive private leagues since before entering high school, where he was part of the high school main squad in his junior year.

“Since then, I’ve worked non-stop to humbly become the number one ranked player in my roster by junior year. I’ve also competed in BSJ, Sportama, and the Varsity-IASAS tournaments,” he added.

Obsessed to sharing hopes with others

Even though he has gone through a series of hard training and often competes in high-level tennis events, he doesn't want to keep his tennis skills only to himself.  He wants to share these benefits with those who don’t have either the funds or the opportunities to understand what this sport could do for them.

Inspiration hit. Ishaan passed Lestari Sayang Anak every day on his way to school; this dilapidated orphanage shared a neighborhood with one of the most glamorous areas in Jakarta.

In other words, he was quite surprised by the presence of a small orphanage that shared the environment with his school, one of the most luxurious international educational institutions in Indonesia. For him, this is like showing a real portrait of economic disparity.

He stopped one day after tennis practice and went inside, where he was so shocked that everyone there greeted him so warmly.

He could see the children faced rare demons yet managed to survive with extraordinarily little. “What rocked me the most was the fact that each and every one of the kids seemed undeniably happy,” told Ishaan.

He had since thought about how to share meaningful things to the lovely children there. He wanted them to be empowered while experiencing what tennis can bring to their lives.

He added, “I admit I lived in a bubble for a long time. I wanted to find even a small way of helping younger kids find that combination of challenge and peace that tennis has brought to me. I believe it is these little things that can completely change someone’s day and mentality and can improve it tremendously. I wanted to empower kids.”

Eventually, Ishaan found the right way to help the children. He spoke to the orphanage administrator Ingrid Van Der Mark about his joyful desire to teach tennis there. She really loved the idea and wanted him to put a plan together.

At first, he was extremely nervous. He racked himself with questions like, why would anyone listen to me or take me seriously? How could I convince the administrators that I could make a real program and stick to it? How would I find a way to pay for the type of program I wanted the kids to have?

“But,” Ishaan continued, “I decided to push past that fear and intimidation. So, here I was, a 17-year-old boy walking in alone full of confidence and the right attitude. I wasn’t going to let my age stop me. I was so happy Ms Ingrid saw my determination, and I’m really grateful I didn’t forgo the opportunity I made happen!”

Initiation of the “Courtside Connection”

So, that was how Courtside Connection was finally born; a program to teach 10 to 15 kids weekly with a goal of helping them to understand the sport, increase their ability levels, and establish disciplined habits.

But, there were many things that Ishaan must take seriously. He spent a lot of time working out his plans to become a trainer for the beginner level, despite his experience of competing in high-level competition. Behind his struggle, there also comes the support from the Indonesian caliber tennis coach, Alex Santoso (ATS).

Later on, he prepared the necessary equipment starting from shoes, jerseys, tennis cones, rackets, and so on. To economically fulfill his needs, Ishaan initiated public fundraising, one of which was by organizing a double tennis tournament.

Besides successfully attracting sponsors from big corporations, he also recruited 40 people who volunteered to help his cause. He even managed to convince a number of top tennis players to support the doubles tennis tournament he initiated.

“I had put it together by firstly deciding the amount needed to fundraise and then inviting over 40 people to have a doubles tournament that would be enjoyable and competitive for everyone. I was able to convince top ranked players to believe in my cause. Then we organised two different teams that had 10 partners each and alternated to have as much social experience as possible,” he remarked.

His persistent efforts reaped the best results on the first day of training at Courtside Connection. Ishaan won't forget that day. Although feeling so nervous, he was quite great at taking the role as a tennis coach, his first experience in his life.

After some time, he applauded that the kids were laughing and enjoying their time on the court.

“My best definition of success for Courtside Connections is the growing number of smiles I see. I’ve never wanted to measure my program in scores or games but in the joy of the kids and their growing confidence in themselves,” said Ishaan, joyfully.

His personal success is seeing the orphanage children increasingly develop their passion for tennis, especially to play long term.

“I would feel even more successful if some of our kids felt more empowered to take control of their attitudes and always push themselves to be the best people,” he continued.

Rizky, an inspiring new talent

One of the children who caught his attention was Rizky, a child who played with a gleaming passion he had never seen before from a beginner.

“I  saw his drive. His enthusiasm for tennis connected us, as I found in him someone who would want to play this sport for a very long time. I couldn't have been more excited for the next practice,” Ishaan explained.

Rizky told Ishaan about his parents leaving him there because they couldn’t afford to take care of him. Ishaan could tell he struggled with many justifiable, complex emotions, but he didn’t use them as an excuse or crutch.

Risky's determination really moved him. Ishaan stated, "Rizky had resilience above the others and never let a missed ball, bad serve, or misjudged shot get him down. He just worked harder and constantly improved. He set goals for himself and believed it was up to him to accomplish them.”

Ishaan remembered one of Rizky's sayings in one moment, “I won’t give up until I’m better than you”, Rizky chuckled in one lesson. Ishaan smiled and cheered, “I wish for that day!”

Small initiatives that will continue to grow bigger

Success after success has been achieved during training every week. The children gradually improved with each session. Some of the children who seemed reluctant are now starting to get encouragingly enthusiastic about further training.

“I was literally witnessing them transform from passive children to aggressive players,” he declared.

In other words, Ishaan Keswani, a young tennis player, has succeeded in bringing Courtside Connection to become her dream vessel to broadly open opportunities for young talents that are born with unlucky fates.

Now, he has seen the bright changes: Rizky and dozens of other orphans have the opportunity to develop their extraordinary talents! In this way, Ishaan also seems to think he falls in love with the sport of tennis more and more, and promises to bring Courtside Connection to a more mature and long-term realization.

“I want to expand the Courtside Connection by reaching other communities. I will be adding other friends who are committed to the sport and my mission and expand to other orphanages within the year. I welcome anyone who feels strongly about the sport and sharing their time and talent to help me in this mission,” he said.

Lastly, he said he believed everyone had responsibility to use their talents to connect with others in positive ways, and he believed they must use everyday opportunities as vehicles for sharing impacts to the world, no matter how scary or intimidating they might seem.

“I know some teenagers may feel the challenges of a developing country are too big for them, that they are powerless to really do anything to change the major problems we face. But find your talent and simply share it without feeling any pressure to ‘change the world’ but instead change one small life. I would say give back to the world that has still given you so much. Please come out of your bubble and choose to see beyond yourself. Believe me, if I can do it, so can you!” he encouraged.(*)