Manas Dhamne is at a career-high ranking of 384. Only two players younger than the December 2007-born are in ATP’s top 400, and only one Indian is ahead of him in singles.
The teen’s steady rise in rankings is a sign of the potential many in Indian and world tennis see in him, and also a correlation to his rising volume of tournaments of late.
In 2024, Dhamne competed in 20 tournaments. Last year, he featured in 29. Into the fifth month this year, he has already turned up for 12, winning a Futures event and signing off as a first-time Challenger runner-up on Sunday.
In contrast to a stop-start, injury-hampered 2024 season, the young Indian has had only one considerable pause due to injury—in late 2025—over the last year.
Unsurprisingly, Dhamne singled out one aspect of his developmental path as a key differentiator between a couple of years ago and now.
“The fitness, for sure,” said the Satara-born player (he is 6 ft) in a virtual media interaction. “I guess it’s also a bit natural when you grow, especially in these teenage years… but we are also working a lot on it.”
The “we” includes his team of coaches at the renowned Piatti Tennis Centre in Italy, and a couple of fitness experts who have worked with some of the best in business.
Guiding Dhamne in his fitness evolution at the Piatti Centre is Croatian Dalibor Sirola and Italian Leandro Mosconi. Sirola has worked with world No.1 and former Piatti trainee Jannik Sinner, and is with 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic since last year. Mosconi is working with 2021 US Open winner Daniil Medvedev.
“We’re working a lot on strength,” said Dhamne, looking much bulkier than before.
“Strength as in not just lifting weights, but also more explosive strength. I’m also moving better on clay with the sliding. Whenever I’m at the centre for a training block, we’re trying to push.”
Push, but also prevent Dhamne’s body from breaking down frequently. It’s an area many Indian pros, not least the promising ones, have grappled with in their quest to climb higher in singles. And it will remain the most critical factor in the 18-year-old’s pursuit as well.
“Last year, I was injured just once for a couple of months towards the end. After that, I’m playing a lot of weeks, and with no problems,” said Dhamne. “So, that’s also an important part—to not only push but also prevent the body and keep it ready to fight every week.”
Body apart, the game too is going through some refinement. A solid baseline game off both wings comes somewhat naturally to the Indian—“Manas never misses!” Darren Cahill, Sinner’s coach, wrote on X in 2024—and he’s been trying to get more “courageous”.
“To be more aggressive, take more chances with the strokes, find a way to go to the net more. And also, know how and when to use it in a match. I feel I just have to keep building my courage and go for it more and more,” he said.
The serve, of course, is another significant aspect, but that work-in-progress is a more long-term process. “It’s a bit technical, and we’re working on it,” he said. “It’s not going to change in one day, one week or one month. It’s going to take time, but it’s building.”
The teen is in no rush, in a sport where young phenoms often spring up and break into the elite.
“I just need my own time,” said Dhamne. “Me and my coach talk a lot about this, and our thinking is that in the end ranking is a consequence of the level you can have. So, for me, the main goal is not the ranking, for the moment at least. It’s to grow as a player and person. And I feel if we keep going in this direction, the ranking will take care of itself.”
