New Delhi:India’s bright teenage tennis prospect Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathy is carefully balancing junior and professional tournaments this season as she prepares for a gradual transition to the senior circuit.

The 16-year-old, who will soon compete at the junior French Open, has largely featured on the junior circuit this year, a move her coaching team says is aimed at building confidence, gaining match exposure and securing a strong junior ranking before taking a bigger leap into professional events. Maaya, who trains full-time in Spain at Rafa Nadal Academy, said the exposure to a more competitive environment in Europe has accelerated her development. “At a certain level, it’s more about how you compete. In Europe, you are competing every day with equal players and that gives you a lot of experience,” Maaya said during a virtual media interaction facilitated by SAI. She won a J300 event in France on clay in April apart from finishing semifinalist at a couple of events in Spain and Egypt. “For us every week is an opportunity for improvement. That’s been the objective since the start of the year, to just keep getting better, get more matches and feel more comfortable on the tour.” Maaya is supported through Target Asian Games Group (TAGG) scheme of the government and has received a sum of Rs 51 lakh