Yuki Bhambri

Yuki Bhambri is an Indian tennis player who had a highly successful junior career, and who continues to set the standard for players from India.

Bhambri won the Australian Open boys' singles title in 2009, and was widely tipped to succeed at the senior Grand Slams too. While he hasn't done that yet, he remains the best Indian player on the tour right now; there is still hope that he will enjoy an upward surge in the future.

Best finish at each of the four Grand Slams:

Australian Open: 1st Round (2015, 2016, 2018)

French Open: 1st Round (2018)

Wimbledon: 1st Round (2018)

US Open: 1st Round (2018)

Highest Ranking: No. 83

Style of play

Bhambri is primarily a counterpuncher who likes trading groundstrokes from the back of the court.

He imparts heavy topspin on both his forehand and backhand, but also employs the backhand slice when forced to defend. He has an economy of movement in his shots, with a classical technique on both the serve and the return.

Bhambri is comfortable at the net, and brings out the volley whenever he has the chance to attack behind his groundstrokes.

Strengths and weaknesses

Bhambri's movement is his strongest suit. He has great foot speed and is capable of running down most big shots struck by his opponents, often getting to the ball in time to return with interest.

Bhambri also has solid groundstrokes, using them for both offense and defense to keep his opponents at bay. He has a conventional modern forehand and and a two-handed backhand, and can hit them both with depth and spin.

The Indian's serve is a bit of a liability, as he is unable to generate a lot of pace on it. His forehand can also sometimes fail to match the firepower of his opponents, which in turn forces him to defend a little too often.

Bhambri's fitness and stamina are perennial question marks. When he plays against the top players he gives the impression that he can't keep up with them physically. He has also suffered plenty of injuries in his career, which often derail his progress from one season to the next.

Personal life

Bhambri was born in New Delhi, although he currently lives in Florida. His father Chander is a doctor, mother Indu a housewife, and sisters Ankita and Sanaa are both tennis players. His cousins Prerna Bhambri and Prateek Bhambri also play tennis.

Bhambri picked up the sport at the age of five, and his idols growing up were Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. He is also fond of cricket; his favorite player is Sachin Tendulkar, and he has often said that if he wasn't a tennis player, he would've been a cricketer.

The Indian's junior career was filled with landmark achievements. At one point he was the top-ranked junior player in the world, and by winning the 2009 Australian Open boys' title he became just the fourth Indian player to win a junior Grand Slam.

Bhambri may not have made good on his early potential yet, but he's still young enough to challenge for the big titles in the coming few years. In 2017 he made waves by defeating Gael Monfils in Washington, and a few months after that he upset then World No. 12 Lucas Pouille in Indian Wells.

Bhambri has maintained a steady top 100 ranking for a couple of years, and if he can keep injuries at bay, he could well climb even higher.

Social media presence:

Yuki Bhambri Instagram: @yukibhambri

Yuki Bhambri Twitter: @yukibhambri