Who is Arnav Papakar? Meet the first Indian in 36 years to reach the men’s quarterfinals at Wimbledon | Tennis News
New Delhi: Question – ‘Who is Arnav Papakar?’ – is quickly trending on social media after the young Indian tennis player created history Wimbledon. Papakar became the first Indian in 36 years to reach the men’s singles quarter-finals in this prestigious tournament. The 18-year-old defeated Japan’s Ryo Tabata 6-2, 6-1 in just 52 minutes on Wednesday to advance to the quarterfinals. He is the first Indian to achieve this feat since Leander Paes, who won the junior Wimbledon title in 1990.Papakar, who has already booked a spot in the men’s quarter-finals at Wimbledon, joins an elite list of Indian players that includes Leander Paes, Ramanathan Krishnan and Ramesh Krishnan. He is also the first Indian to reach the quarter-finals of a junior Grand Slam since Yuki Bhambri at the 2009 US Open. Papaka will now face U.S. qualifier Jordan Lee in the quarterfinals.
who is Arnav Papakar ?
Papakar is an 18-year-old tennis player from Pune who is currently ranked 19th in the world in the ITF Junior Rankings.Papakar, who is just over six feet tall, trains at the Hemant Bendre Tennis Academy under coach Prosonjit Paul. He also trained with coach Nigel Beavers at Soto Academy in Spain.Papakar is supported by the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA), Mahatennis Foundation, Maharashtra government’s ‘Mission Lakshyvedh’ initiative and corporate sponsor Aryan Pumps.
A successful journey to Wimbledon
Papaka’s first big break came in 2023 when he won the Australian Open Under-14 Asia Pacific Elite Cup in Melbourne. Later that year, he participated in the tournament as a wild card qualifier and became the national under-16 champion in Kolhapur.In 2024, he earned a wild card on his 16th birthday and made his ATP Challenger debut.In 2025, he won his first major international junior titles at the ITF J60 Manama in Bahrain and the J200 in Kuala Lumpur.Earlier this year, he became the AITA Under-18 Boys National Team No. 1 and held the top spot for 21 consecutive weeks. He also reached the third round of the 2026 French Open Junior Championship, a performance that helped him break into the top 20 in the world.
Wimbledon wins
Papaka burst onto the scene at Wimbledon with a stunning 6-2, 6-3 victory over junior world number three Keaton Hans of the United States in the second round.Against Hans, he served 6 aces, saved every break point, and only lost 18 points in the service game, achieving the biggest victory of his career.He then showed dominance again against Tabata, hitting eight aces and winning 23 of 25 first-serve points. His fastest serve speed reached 208 km/h, while his average first serve speed was 196 km/h.
Defeat Tabata
Papaka’s victory over Tabata was particularly special because the Japanese fighter had beaten him twice before. One of those losses came after Papaka led 5-2 in the final set and held five match points.“That match was in my mind. I was like, I can’t lose like that again. I’m much better mentally now, calmer… I told myself, it doesn’t matter, it’s just a tennis match,” a smiling Papakar told TOI.Papaka also noted that Tabata was not in good shape during the game but remained focused on his game.“I realize his serve is difficult, but sometimes players feel better during the match, so I just focus on what I can do during the match,” he added.Papakar credited coach Hemant Bendre with improving one of the strongest parts of his game by changing his serve.“If you see my swing now is slower and fuller, my coach told me in April that it’s best to start working on it now because it will prevent injury,” he said.“It gives me a better rhythm and brings more consistency,” he said.
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