The interest and revere for lawn tennis has forged a strong bond between the Resaul brothers, Heimraj and Vadeanand.
Three years apart, the Resaul siblings are among the top junior players locally and destined to command successful paths.
Eighteen-year-old Heimraj, the older sibling, told Stabroek Sport of his initiation into the sport. It began with his novel interest in physical education but that soon blossomed into something special.
“Tennis in the family started with me. I started through my school programme and Vadeanand picked it up along the way,” said Heimraj who is currently on a scholarship at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, United States.
“I wanted to do a physical activity while I was smaller. My dad actually pushed me towards cricket, as he was a cricketer growing up. My mom, however, wanted me to try something new so she signed me up for tennis.”
As Heimraj got into the racquet sport, his younger sibling took aim and found his place on the court as well.
“Vadeanand tagged along to my practices here and there, and we decided to let him try to see if he liked it. Turns out he did, and here we are now.”
His version was co-signed by 15-year-old Vadeanand.
“My brother [Heimraj] was influenced from the school to start playing a sport and our parents always encouraged us to do a sport and seeing him play influenced me,” Vadeanand recalled.
The Sheltez Tennis Club players, though they are miles apart, communicate often and not surprisingly, the conversation is often about the sport.
“We talk every day. Our conversations are usually spur of the moment, as we chat about anything from tennis to our friends.
“Being the bigger brother, I try to coach him but at the same time maintain the fact that I’m not the boss of him. I give him tips when it comes to things like game plans and the mental aspect of the sport. I usually let him take care of his technique,” Heimraj said.
“I contact my brother daily and the conversations definitely include tennis but we also talk about other things. We check up on each other and send each other funny content,” Vadeanand said.
Asked whether the competitiveness in the household gets overwhelming, the brothers responded in the negative and noted that it is advantageous to have someone around to discuss the intricacies of tennis.
“It’s never annoying. It’s great having someone who loves the sport as much as you do. We even work out sometimes together. I tease him about the rivalry a lot, saying that he’ll never be able to pick up a win over me.
“However, I do it out of good heart with the hope that he’ll use it as the driving force he needs. I actually want him to beat me one day, but I won’t make it easy for him.
“We would watch matches together, and use it as an opportunity to break down the sport. Our dad also understands the sport beyond a spectator’s view and the three of us usually have conversations about what each player is doing, and what potential changes they can make to their game plan,” Heimraj said.
Meanwhile, Vadeanand added that the rivalry pushes them to be better.
One of the favourite pastimes for the duo who are both local junior champs is watching grand slam matches, the masters 1000 and world tour encounters.
