WHO said Malaysian tennis is on the slide? Delizavernne Kaur made the country proud by securing the year-end Asian Tennis Federation (ATF) 14 and Under girls' No 1 ranking.
The 14-year-old topped the ranking list with 1,710 points ahead of several top players from South Korea, China, Japan and India.
What made her success sweeter is that Delizavernne achieved it without depending on public funds or other special assistance.
Remarkably, she topped the rankings without the help of a professional coach. Her non-playing tennis father, Bhoopindar Singh, a businessman, has been coaching her since she first picked up the racquet six years ago.
The Form Two student of SMK Sri Aman, however, almost gave up tennis a year ago.
Delizavernne, who is of Punjabi-Filipino parentage, felt there were too many obstacles, which had also halted the progress of her brothers, Pearljit Singh and Duzbionjit Singh. But her father managed to coax her from quitting and the rest was history.
"It's amazing for me to finish the year as the No. 1 player in Asia (14 and under)," Delizavernne told Timesport at Balai Berita in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
"I do not know whether Malaysians have finished a year as No 1 in tennis but to be among the very few is special.
"I'm only in the beginning of my career, and to have achieved so much already is a dream come true."
"Many may argue that the best in Asia were not playing regularly on the circuit but for a Malaysian to be ranked No 1, it is something to be proud of."
Delizavernne admitted that she wanted to quit a year ago as she was not getting the due recognition.
"There were obstacles, which I do not want to elaborate, but my dad told me not to give up and I kept on playing.
"I hope my achievement will help me get some recognition and also open new doors for me to further my tennis career," she said.
Delizavernne played a full schedule in the 14 and under circuit and attained success in Penang, Malacca and Bangladesh.
In last month's season-finale, the Qatar Asian Championships (14 and under), she and Libya's Laura Sahyoun defeated Kazakhstan's Milana Imamniyazova-As Jumamakhambeto 2-6, 6-3, 10-5 for the doubles crown.
In the singles, Delizavernne was beaten 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the final by Kazakhstan's Gozal Ainitdinova.
On her plans, Delizavernne said she would like to turn professional and represent Malaysia in the Fed Cup.
"I will make my debut in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Under-18 tour next year, where I hope to make the grade.
"I do not want to put pressure on myself by setting unrealistic targets. I will give myself about three years in the ITF tour before looking seriously on whether to turn professional," said Delizavernne.
Despite being Asia's No 1 junior, Delizavernne is not a member of the national elite squad but the strong-willed youngster prefers not to think about it
"I am a goal-driven person. Apart from tennis, I want to excel in studies and become a successful business person like my dad.
"I owe him a lot, as if not for him, I would not have achieved so much in the sport," she added.
