Amritraj Aims for Junior Wimbledon

Wimbledon awaits Prakash Amritraj.

Actually, Amritraj will play qualifying matches next week in an attempt to gain entry into the main draw of Wimbledon’s junior tournament, which runs July 2-9 during the second week of the 2000 Wimbledon Championships.

“All of what I’ve ever done has been to build up to this tournament,” Amritraj said. “I think I’ll do well, and you never know. Once the matches start, anything can happen.”

Amritraj, a 16-year-old Encino resident who attends Harvard-Westlake High, left for England last week.

He will compete in two grass-court tournaments in London, the Thames-Ditton tournament this week and the Roehampton tournament next week.

“The past month I’ve just been practicing very hard, playing as much as I can and working on my serve and volley,” Amritraj said.

“I’ve been practicing a whole lot, twice, sometimes three times a day, and I’m feeling really good. Hopefully, I’ll be able to make some good things happen. I know I’m going to do the best I can.”

He will need to because the junior Wimbledon includes some of the best junior players in the world.

“It’s the exact same thing, only on a smaller scale,” Amritraj said. “My initial focus is going to have to be on making it to the draw in the first place. That’ll be tough enough, but I feel like I can do pretty well.”

Amritraj, who will be a senior in the fall, missed most of the spring semester of his junior year while on a tour of International Tennis Federation competition in Asia.

His success there paved the way for competing in London. Amritraj won two doubles tournaments and advanced to the singles quarterfinals in another event in Asia.

Amritraj is ranked No. 2 in the nation in the boys’ 16 division by the United States Tennis Assn., up from No. 21 last year. In his first year of competition in boys’ 18’s, he is ranked No. 77 nationally and No. 9 in Southern California.

“I had a good year last year, I think maybe the best year I’ve ever had, and I just kept on improving,” Amritraj said.

Amritraj will have to win two qualifying matches to advance to the Wimbledon junior tournament.

“I like to think of myself as an all-court player,” he said. “But I win most of my points at the net, so I’m very comfortable there. I think I’m ready.

“I’ve always held this tournament in the highest regard. There’s so much tradition.”

By playing at the All-England Club, Amritraj will follow in the footsteps of his father, Vijay Amritraj.

Vijay and his brother, Anand, have played in the men’s main draw or in age-group competition in doubles at Wimbledon every year since 1972, and they will play again this year in the 45-and-over invitational division during the same week Prakash will be playing in the junior event.

After Wimbledon, Amritraj’s cousin, Crespi sophomore Stephen Amritraj and Anand’s son, will join him abroad for doubles competition in two more ITF tournaments.

Prakash and Stephen also will play in a pre-Wimbledon exhibition match against their fathers, whom they defeated, 6-2, for the first time in a recent match at Braemar Country Club in Tarzana.

“This is going to be so much fun,” Amritraj said. “I’m so psyched, and hopefully, I can make a good showing.”