The first tennis racquet incoming student Naomi Karki held was pint-sized and colorful, with characters from the television show Dora the Explorer decorating the rim and handle.
The East Brunswick resident was 5.
She spent the next few months swinging the racquet around, never hitting a ball. Nonetheless, her parents kept her in the Pee Wee tennis program at the Nassau Tennis Club in Montgomery Township.
Thirteen years and countless racquet models later, the first-year honors student has switched to a Head Speed racquet, a black-and-white racquet she describes as “very cool,” and which will accompany her when she joins Rutgers’ celebrated women’s tennis team this fall.
She comes to Rutgers with a resume that includes leading her team at East Brunswick High School to a New Jersey State Interschool Athletic Association (NJSIAA) state championship, and being voted Greater Middlesex County Fall Sports Athlete of the Year in her first year of high school.
Karki has a dominant individual 24-2 record, and numerous division championships to her credit. Last summer, she trained at the Juan Carlos Ferrero Academy in Spain, which boasts internationally No. 1–ranked Carlos Alcaraz as one of its alumni.
Tennis is a family sport in the Karki household. Her father, Trilok Karki, emigrated from Mumbai, India, bringing with him a love for all things athletic, plus a desire to share his passion with his children. Her brother, Ronit, a high school sophomore, is a recent national tennis championship finalist whom she describes as “a better tennis player than me.”
And her mother, Kanhan Joshi, who also comes from Mumbai, brings a competitive spirit that fuels Karki’s passion for the game, she says.
Although she averages two to three hours on the court every day, Karki also shines in the world of academics. She belongs to both the National and Spanish Honor Societies, and hopes for a career in medicine, probably one combining neuroscience and psychology.
The biggest lesson she’s learned from tennis?
“You have to believe in yourself. If you’re fortunate, as I am, you have people who support you, but ultimately you have to advocate for yourself.”
And the tennis racquet remains for her a symbol of persistence.
“You work hard, you play hard – I’m very proud of that,”
Karki says.
FULL SOURCE: Rutgers Today | Meet the Class of 2027: An Award-Winning and Caring Group of High Achievers