Who is Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi? Know Indian tennis’ next big hope

Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi entered the Mumbai Open 2025 as a wildcard but walked out as India's next tennis sensation - a rising star destined to carry the nation’s hopes for years to come.

The 15-year-old grabbed the tennis world’s attention during the WTA 125 tournament, where she defied all expectations by reaching the semi-finals – after starting from the qualifying rounds – in what was just her fifth professional event.

Going into the tournament unranked, Maaya upset much more established names like world No. 225 Iryna Shymanovich and Japan’s world No. 285 Mei Yamaguchi outright.

Sandwiched between the two wins, Maaya also knocked out Kazakhstan’s Zarina Diyas, a former top 50 player. Though the victory came after Diyas retired from the match, the Indian teenager was leading the Kazakh 6-3, 3-2 at the time.

The Indian tennis player had also accounted for world No. 264 Nicole Fossa Huergo of Italy and 434th-ranked American player Jessica Failla in the qualifiers to make the main draw.

This feat made Maaya the first player born in 2009 or after to reach the top four in a main-draw event of such calibre. She will also be ranked inside the top 700 after her historic run, making her the youngest Indian to earn a WTA ranking.

Notably, prior to the tournament, Maaya had never faced a top 300-ranked opponent, making her deep run all the more extraordinary.

Born on June 12, 2009, in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi’s foray into tennis began as a casual after-school playtime activity.

However, it quickly turned into a serious pursuit when she was just eight years old.

Maaya’s natural talent and passion for the sport led her to train under former India No. 1 KG Ramesh before going on to join the Pro Serve Tennis Academy under coach Manoj Kumar to further her development.

By the age of 10, Maaya had already set her sights on a professional tennis career. Fast forward a few years, and she seems well on track.

A regular on the junior circuit since 2022, Maaya won five junior titles (four J60s and one J100) in 2023. She also earned an invitation to the Australian Open 2023 Under-14 showcase that year.

A year later, she made her junior Grand Slam debut in Melbourne but was knocked out in the first round of the qualifiers by Sonja Zhenikhova of Germany.

Maaya also turned heads to reach the Senior National Championships final in 2024 before finishing runners-up to Vaidehee Chaudhari. En route, the unseeded teenager beat more established players like Riya Bhatia among others.

In the same year, Maaya made her senior tennis debut in an ITF W15 tournament in Egypt.

In 2025, Maaya won a J300 junior title in Delhi and broke into the top 60 of the Junior ITF rankings. It also secured her a spot in the 2025 junior Grand Slams.

Training at the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy

To further refine her game, Maaya trained at the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy in Mallorca for a week in 2024. Her impressive showing there earned her a one-year training contract with the prestigious institution.

Having the opportunity to watch Rafael Nadal train up close during the Davis Cup 2024 Finals in Mallorca also left a profound mark on the youngster. It was also the farewell event for the Spanish legend.

“It's one of my most favourite memories. Even a man that's won so much, he's still got that hunger and that's really impressive," Maaya told the WTA.

Incidentally, Maaya’s game style also draws heavily from Nadal. Like the Spanish icon, the Indian teenager is also an aggressive baseline player and uses her powerful groundstrokes to dictate rallies.

Among Indian tennis players, Maaya idolises Sania Mirza, India’s most successful women’s tennis player. Inspired by Mirza’s trailblazing journey, Maaya is determined to leave her mark on the singles circuit.

Maaya, who enjoys history at school and loves trekking, wants to follow Mirza’s footsteps and win Grand Slams. Reaching the World No. 1 in the WTA Rankings one day also features prominently on her agenda.

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