From the relatively backward border district of Barmer in Rajasthan to becoming one of Ludhiana’s longest-serving tennis coaches, Ajay Vyas’ journey is one of perseverance, professional commitment and passion.Vyas has been a familiar face on the tennis courts in the city for more than two decades. Since joining the Sutlej Club as the chief coach in 2002, he has devoted himself to developing young players and strengthening the city’s tennis culture—barring a three-year stint at the Harvest Tennis Academy in Jassowal Kular village.Vyas grew up in Barmer, which is close to the Pakistan border. Coming from a family of teachers, he was introduced early to the values of discipline and education. His father Laxmi Narayan Vyas and mother Raj Bala Joshi Vyas were government teachers.His sporting journey began alongside his academic pursuits. After completing his schooling in Barmer, he pursued a bachelor of physical education and BPEd degree from Nagpur University. He subsequently studied the Rajasthani language at Jai Narayan Vyas University, Jodhpur.However, tennis coaching eventually became his calling—as if it was always meant to be. Vyas completed a diploma in lawn tennis from the Netaji Subas National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala, in 2001-02 and later earned an All India Tennis Association (AITA level 4) coaching certificate from Pune in 2007. He also participated in a national coaches’ workshop in Chandigarh.Before establishing himself as a coach, Vyas was an accomplished university sportsperson. He captained the Jai Narayan Vyas University tennis team at the all-India university competitions held at Mysore and Chennai.Captained varsity shuttlersVyas also represented the university in badminton and captained its team in the all-India university west zone competition in Indore. His sporting interests extended beyond the racquet as he also participated in the Pune International Marathon.However, coaching soon became his principal pursuit. Vyas was appointed as the chief coach at the local club. Except for his tenure as founder and chief coach of the Harvest Tennis Academy from 2005 to 2008, has continued in that role to date.He is credited with being among the first qualified tennis coaches in Ludhiana and has played a significant role in creating a pathway for youngsters from the city to compete at the state and national levels.For Vyas, success has never been restricted to trophies won by his trainees. His larger satisfaction lies in seeing his students build careers—both on and off the court.Among the players he has coached are Rimpledeep Kaur, Arshdeep Kaur, Dalwinder Singh, Harpreet Singh, Jajbeer Singh and Gulshan Yadav, along with several other state and national players.His coaching stint at the Harvest Tennis Academy also saw boys and girls being selected for state teams. Girls from the academy went on to represent the country.Several of his trainees have subsequently settled abroad, including in the US, Canada, Singapore and England. Some of those who trained under him have also gone on to become coaches, taking the sport to different parts of the country. One of his notable trainees, Anhad Soin from Ludhiana, reached the AITA-level competition and later moved to the US.Vyas’ coaching experience has not remained confined to club and academy tennis. He served as coach of the Punjab Police team at the National Police Tennis Games in Ahmedabad in 2024 and Bengaluru in 2025.He believes the assignments added another dimension to his coaching career and provided him with an opportunity to work with competitive players in a vastly different sporting environment.His approach to coaching has been influenced by his mentors, including former NIS chief coach Vijendra Sharma and badminton coach Rajiv Bhargava.His sporting idols reflect his admiration for the golden era of international tennis. Boris Becker, Pete Sampras and Steffi Graf are among his favourite players.“For a coach who has spent years watching youngsters pick up their first racquet and gradually progress towards competitive tennis, the real reward is perhaps seeing them become confident individuals,” Vyas says.From Barmer’s border landscape to Ludhiana’s tennis courts, Vyas has travelled a long distance. His career is not merely about coaching a sport; it is about creating opportunities for youngsters, producing players and, increasingly, producing coaches who can carry the game forward.