On July 8, Arnav Paparkar called his mother, Dr Vijaya Paparkar, from Wimbledon and said, “Match ho gaya hai, Mummy. Main jeet gaya hoon.” (The match is over, Mummy. I have won.)What Arnav did not know as he walked off the court after defeating Japan’s Ryo Tabata 6-2, 6-1 in 52 minutes in the boys’ singles Round of 16 was that he had just made history. Arnav had become the first Indian in 36 years to reach the Wimbledon boys’ singles quarter-finals. Leander Paes had been the last Indian to do so in 1990.“I had to stretch. I had to eat. So, I avoided checking WhatsApp or Instagram. It was two hours later that I saw a post announcing that I was the first Indian to reach the boys’ singles quarter-finals at Wimbledon in more than three decades. It was a very different feeling. I was shocked and honoured,” says Paparkar.In the quarter-final, after Jordan Lee of the US defeated him on Thursday, Arnav called his mother again.“Mummy, match ho gaya. Main haar gaya.” (Mummy, the match is over. I have lost.)Arnav Paparkar has become the 1st Indian in 36 years to reach boys’ singles quarterfinals at Wimbledon#Wimbledon https://t.co/gKi2oRintL— Express Sports (@IExpressSports) July 8, 2026On Saturday morning, Arnav was back home in Bavdhan, where he lives with his parents and his older brother, Aryan Paparkar, a mechanical engineer. In the family, there is a strong emphasis on hard work, respect and education.“We have a system where you can play as much as you want but, for one hour every day, you have to sit with a book,” says Vijaya.Arnav’s room is decked with posters of his football heroes, especially Cristiano Ronaldo, and memorabilia collected from Grand Slam tournaments around the world. His first home-cooked meal after two months—during which he played the French Open and Wimbledon—was idli-sambar for breakfast. There was chicken for dinner.Story continues below this ad“It is a normal day for us. Reaching the quarter-finals of the Wimbledon boys’ singles was an important milestone for us, but it is another step in our long journey. Goal bahut aage hai. (The goal is still far ahead.) We will celebrate a little today and keep walking forward,” says Vijay Paparkar, Arnav’s father, an engineer.Coach Hemant Bendre recalls his emotions when Arnav lost. “I am feeling bad. I always thought that he could make it to the finals. He was 15 when he came to us for coaching. He was doing well at the national level but I thought he could play internationally well. Reaching the quarter-finals is one of those milestones that we need in between to motivate us,” says Bendre.It was in the fitness-conscious atmosphere of Pune that Arnav found his footing early in childhood. A calm child, he was naturally drawn to sports. Arnav joined a football academy, played cricket for a while and even took up skating.At six, he became a member of a club, now known as Metro City Sports Club in Rambaug Colony, Kothrud, where he swam in the pool.Story continues below this ad“There was a tennis court right beside it and I used to watch the players. When the coach there asked me to join, I was happy to start playing tennis,” he says.His parents, though not sportspersons themselves, wanted their sons to be active—just as a hobby and not as the main focus. But from the beginning, Arnav was striking the tennis ball well. Coaches pointed out that he had an excellent, almost intuitive, sense of ball speed and timing.A year later, Arnav was playing tournaments in Pune. Soon, he began progressing rapidly.“From time to time, we upgraded his academy. The New India School, where he studied, supported him by accommodating his absences and relaxing his examination schedule,” says Vijay.Story continues below this adBy the time he reached Class VIII, Arnav had to spend more time on tennis than on studies.“We had to make a decision about his future. Kya karna hai? School pe shift hona hai ya tennis pe? (Should we shift our focus on school or tennis?) All parents want their child to do well, but we didn’t want to make an emotional decision. It was a turning point for us, but we took a chance on tennis,” says Vijay.The impact rippled through the entire family, with both parents having to devote considerable time to the career of a budding tennis player.Vijaya closed her clinic and began accompanying Arnav to his matches—first across Maharashtra, from Mumbai to Solapur, Sangli and Kolhapur; then nationally, from Delhi to Guwahati and Indore; and finally internationally, including the Australian Open, as Arnav’s talent brought him up against equally skilled players on courts across the world.Story continues below this ad“I did not feel bad about closing my clinic because I thought I was using my knowledge and education to look after my children. What pained me was that I had to leave my elder son, who was also very young, every time I travelled with Arnav,” says Vijaya.When the matches were around Pune, Vijay used to drive them there and back.“I think my brother made the greatest sacrifice for me. He used to stay alone at home when he was just 12 or 13 because my mother was with me,” says Arnav.Due to the expenses involved in supporting a tennis career, the family had to plan accordingly.Story continues below this ad“Typically, parents save for the future of their children. Humne socha ki bacche ke bade hone ke baad unpe spend karne se better hai ki abhi unpe spend kare. (We thought it was better to spend on our child now than later),” says Vijay.Eventually, as Arnav’s promise became evident, he found sponsors as well as support from the Mahatennis Foundation.At Wimbledon, Arnav saw his heroes, including Roger Federer.“My first hero was Federer. I saw him practicing but couldn’t get a picture with him because they said we couldn’t take photographs in the players’ area. But I stood there and watched him practise. I also saw Novak Djokovic train,” he says.Those are the heights he is aiming for.Bendre says Arnav is a fast learner and highly adaptable.Story continues below this ad“If I give him a technical correction to work on, he understands it and can make the change within 10 to 15 minutes. His adaptability is among the best I have seen in any student,” says Bendre.When Arnav defeated Tabata, his response was restrained. In a sport where even senior players are known for displays of aggression, Arnav says a difficult phase taught him the value of staying calm. “I used to throw tantrums and break racquets, and that would make me lose matches. I changed my mindset. I told myself that it’s just a tennis match and I have to stay calm. That is working,” he says.Last year, he hardly won a match in the second half of the junior season.“But I kept working every day. I didn’t give up. You can see Rafael Nadal—he never gives up,” says Arnav.Story continues below this adTabata and Lee had both defeated Arnav in the past.“But I didn’t want to remember those matches. I went out there and played my game,” he says.“He knows that failures teach you more than success. We can always work to make ourselves better. I hope he becomes a successful professional tennis player and a good human being,” says Vijay.Coming up, Arnav is preparing to play extensively over the next six months as he aims to transition to the senior circuit.“That’s going to be a challenge and I have to keep improving physically,” he says.And in November, he also has to clear his Class XI-XII examinations.“English is easy, but Physics, Chemistry and Maths are pretty hard. I have online classes every day,” he says.